New Life, New Hope
by Bubblegum Shoes
Summary: When I was human, I had a mediocre life and treated a lot of kids like dirt. Then, I died in an accident. Thanks to a legendary, I've been given a new life as a Pokemon. It'd be cool if my friends were sane and evil organizations left me alone. Reborn Fic
1. I Die As a Hero

**So, I've decided to do a Pokemon reborn story, since these have been becoming pretty popular in the fandom. I've enjoyed reading numerous reborn fics, and I thought I'd take a shot at it. Well, I did take a shot at this before, but…well, let's just say I deleted it for good reason… -coughitsuckedcough-**

**So, hopefully, this story will not suffer the same fate as my last reborn story. So, on that note, read on! I dare you. I triple dog dare you. **

* * *

My name's Ben Hudson. I know it's kind of cheesy or generic or whatever to start out a story with "My name's blah blah blah". Well, I don't really care whether I'm original or not. After I'm done telling this whole story (which is going to be long, by the way), I think most will realize that it's pretty damn original because I _know _none of this happened to you, or anyone you knew.

Because I _know _you never died. I _know _you weren't reborn as a Pokemon. I _know _you didn't get chased by an evil organization. I _know _you were never caught between a battle between two pissed off legendaries. Well, there were more than two, but that's a little ways away from the beginning.

See, _now _I have your attention.

So, I might as well start from the beginning instead of telling you what I know you didn't do.

* * *

It was cold. Really fucking cold.

The region of Sinnoh had a really cold climate, which made me hate the damn place. I know most people grow attached to the climate of their home town or region, but not me. I had planned to hop on a plane for Hoenn when I was eighteen, where the sun always shined and Winter was just a forgotten memory. That'd be sweet.

But back then, on that freezing day, I was only a fifteen year old with no money for a plane ticket. I still curse my parents for not giving me a larger allowance.

I tugged my stupid scarf tighter around my neck, trying with all my might to warm myself. Seriously, Sinnoh sucks. If you _ever _think about moving here, or visiting here, don't. Not unless you have either a million pounds of sweaters or a working flamethrower. But all I had was a thin scarf that didn't do shit, a stupid baggy jacket with a broken zipper, blue jeans and black boots that didn't help protect my feet due to the holes in the bottom of them.

I angrily walked down the street, pissed at my stupid school assignment. "Research the elements from the periodic table and graph out their properties," the science teacher had told the class. I will never understand how that crap's useful, but I digress.

I wouldn't be very pissed, but I had to go to the library. I live in Twinleaf town, a small town with big dreamers who never amount to much other than some morons who run around and catching animals in balls. Truly a worth while occupation. I never had any interest in Pokemon battling, sure it was fun to watch, but the thought of being a trainer just irked me. Why should _I _run around a region, steal creatures out of their habitats and for what? A couple bucks from a guy who thinks it was smart not to evolve his Metapod until level twenty? No way, screw that.

Anyways, Twinleaf is microscopic. Honestly, you have _three _blocks of houses, a grocery store and a small schoolhouse. Basically, since Twinleaf doesn't have a library, you have three choices to get books: get them off of eBay, go to the mini library in the schoolhouse or drag your ass to the next town, Sandgem. Now, it takes about two hours to get to Sandgem. It's faster if you have a bike, and even faster if you got a car. Here's the thing, the paths are icy as hell so you can't use a bike. And in a small town like Twinleaf, _nobody _needs a car, much less could the townspeople _find _a damn car.

eBay was off limits since, as I said, I have no money, and neither do my parents. We're a pretty broke family, what with my dad being paralyzed from the waist down and my mom not having any luck with finding a job. The mini library in the schoolhouse was out as all the books had been checked out. Since Twinleaf only had _one _schoolhouse, every child in the town went there, causing it to be crowded everyday, so there were _always _kids who had gotten to the books first.

So now I had to drag my ass like the poor sap I was all the way to Sandgem. I was pretty close to it anyways, but after walking two hours in the cold, I just felt like falling face first into the snow and letting the cold winds and the falling snow to just cover and hide me away, kill me so I could just leave this fucking frozen Winter Wonderland.

I was obviously just being mopey and didn't mean that I wanted to get killed…but nonetheless, I still got my wish. More on that in a few minutes, so keep your pants on. We'll get there.

I finally saw the sign declaring "Welcome to Sandgem Town!", and I couldn't be any happier. _Finally, _I'm done with this freezing cold crap. I couldn't wait until I ran into the heated library.

I made my way through town, not very confused as I had been here before with my mom when she had been job hunting. It was fairly easy to navigate through the town, and the library finally came into view. A medium sized red brick building with the words "Sandgem Public Library" on a giant plaque above the doors. I raced towards the library, thanking the legendaries that I had finally arrived.

I practically tore through the doors, sighing happily as warm air rushed around my body, and suddenly everything felt better. Who cared if my family was broke? I was warm. Who cared if I'd probably be stuck forever in that goddamned town Twinleaf? I was warm. Who cared if annoying teen boys with voices that rape your ear drums became famous and sang about love even though they're too young to eve comprehend the true meaning of that emotion? I was warm. _Really _warm. And it felt glorious.

I sauntered (don't you just love using big words when you don't need to? I don't know, maybe it's just me) through the bookshelves, trying to find some book on science. I wished my computer wasn't being an asshole lately. I could just do all this on my laptop in the comfort of my own home, but no, it has to be so slow that it takes up to an hour and a half to load the page. Of course. Screw you, Comcast.

I pulled out some sciences books I had found after a little bit, and was happy when I had found three books all about elements and the periodic table. I don't understand how someone could bare having to write an entire book about science. The very thought just scares me to death. Scares me to death. Heh. That was unintentional foreshadowing.

Then, _that _voice popped up.

Now I know after reading that sentence, you're just _dying _to know who that voice belongs to and why it sounds like I would dislike that voice. But you know what? I need to build up suspense, so let me tell you something about the old me, because it ties into the person that the voice belonged to.

The old me, before I changed (we'll see how I changed later on), was sort of a bully. In fact, sometimes, I was a downright asshole. It's not like I was to everyone. I had a large group of friends and was pretty popular in Twinleaf, as if that's saying something. But I did bully some kids that had been classified as nerds or outcasts. I verbally destroyed them, and when I was really angry, I beat the shit out of them.

I know that sounds wrong and terrible and a bunch of you are going "You're a douche, dude", and I couldn't agree more. I was a douche. I'm not going to complain how my life was hard or whatever, but as far as lives go, mine did sort of suck. Because of this, I mostly took out my frustrations on the weaker and more unpopular kids, as a way of venting my stress. I had plenty of friends, but I was never _really _close to someone (well, one person, but she'll appear later), as in, there was no one I could come to if I were sad or just down or something. Friends, but not close friends. Then, there was the fact that I felt trapped in Twinleaf, a small town everyone overlooks. People from Twinleaf rarely get far, as I've stated before, and I feared that that would be my fate as well, not getting far in life. I hated that, that feeling that you won't amount to anything. It makes me feel like shit. Finally, my parents. You look at them, and you want to laugh a little. Laugh at their attempts to look happy, because no one in my family is happy. I wasn't all that happy, due to the facts I've just stated. My mother wasn't happy, she had to work so hard to try and keep up with the bills, all the while looking after a kid and a paralyzed husband, also while constantly looking for a decent paying job. My dad was the most unhappy of us all, as losing your legs takes a lot out of you. Also, the fact that he couldn't work in a proper job due to this handicap meant that he knew he was the reason mom had to work extra hard to support the family. All that information had turned the guy into just a sad looking pale man without a soul stuck in a wheelchair.

Damn it, am I sounding emo? I'm not _trying _to sound like it, so sorry if I do.

So, now that we've established that I'm the freaking master of suspense (you know I am, don't lie) I think it's time I told you who the hell the voice belongs to.

The kid's name is Jack Valentine, and how does he relate to my life story? Well, he was one of the kids I bullied, a lot. For some reason, out of all the kids I had shoved, yelled at or punched he was always there. He was my victim the most out of all the kids in the town. It wasn't surprising though. Out of all the Twinleaf residents, Jack was one of the smallest, scrawniest, nerdy kids in the damn town. He always had his shirts tucked into his pants, always wore polo shirts or even suits. Either his mother dressed him, or it was his own choice. I still sincerely hope it was his mother, since if it was the latter, I'd have probably made his life even more hellish. His hair was always combed so neatly to the side in that little goody two shoes way that made you want to punch him in the face. He had blue eyes, a soft face and this smile that alerted you this kid was a total and utter nerd.

Oh, sorry, forgot about him saying something.

"So, you _can _read?"

Did I mention Jack is a smug bitch that even though he knows I could beat him, still retaliates?

I looked up and grimaced. "How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"How long did it take you to learn to read? 'M guessing fifteen years or so."

"Fucking brilliant, your humor astounds me. Please, go on with your oh so wonderful commentary on how you think I can't read," I said dryly, turning to take a seat at a table.

Jack took a seat right across from me, as if saying 'Go ahead, beat me. I don't care what you do or say anymore'. "Oh, you don't like my sense of humor? I'm crushed."

"Oh no, I've hurt your feelings. Woe is me."

"Don't feel too bad about it buddy," he said with a smirk.

"Could you please fuck off?"

"Sounds like you don't want me here talking."

"Duh."

"I think I'll stay right here. Annoying you is fun," he declared with an evil glint in his eye.

I groaned softly so as not to disturb the other people in the library, then shot Jack my "I'm so kicking your ass when we're not in public" look. Obviously, it had no affect.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it, Ben?"

"Your mother's a bitch."

"A 'Your Mom' joke, how clever. All the wit and sophistication of a spoon."

At this point, I was close to leaping over the table and strangling the scrawny bastard, witnesses be damned, but chose not to. It'd be stupid to go to jail just for some ass hat like Jack. So I tried to tune him out, because I knew moving to another table would just cause him to move back over with me. I opened the book and began to read about the element Krypton. Of course, not the cool Superman's planet Krypton, the lame element no on cares about Krypton.

Jack continued bugging me, which finally earned him some kicks to the shin, which barely phased the puny little bitch. Of course. So he continued to distract me from my studying. I needed to find a way to shut him up. I thought, and thought, and thought some more. If you couldn't tell, there was thinking involved…

Just wanted to make that clear.

So, I finally came up with the best conclusion (to me) I could come up with: steal his shit.

I had noticed he had a backpack placed neatly on the table. Perfect. With a deft and quick move, I had grabbed his backpack, pulled it towards me, ran out towards the exit and made the biggest mistake of my life. I could hear him running behind me, shouting after me. It was odd, he sounded as if he was going to cry.

_Dude, it's just a backpack, _I had thought.

If only I knew what the backpack contained.

As I finally got outside into the bitter cold, I raised my arm back and chucked the backpack into the street, where an oncoming car would surely run over it, then mess up all of his papers. That would show him not to fuck with me. A nice little message from yours truly. It's the perfect tactic to shut someone up, harass them. Worked for me most of the time.

Then, Jack screamed out the one phrase that made me regret everything.

"No! My Pokemon egg!" Jack had screamed, sounding as though he'd start to cry any second.

I looked at the backpack in the street. Sure enough, a glowing egg stuck out of the back pocket of the backpack. When a Pokemon egg glows, it means it'll hatch in a couple days or so. Now, as much of a jackass as I was, I couldn't kill someone's future pet, or Pokemon partner or whatever. Telling someone to fuck off, beating someone, that's one thing. Killing someone's Pokemon is something I could never do without feeling guilty as hell afterwards.

A blue car was driving down the road, oblivious to the backpack and the egg.

I did what any impatient fifteen year old male would do: I tried to be the hero. Yes, I could of signaled the car to stop, or grabbed the backpack and run away with it, but nope. Didn't think this through.

I lunged out into the street, jumping in front of the oncoming car. I grabbed the backpack and pushed the egg further inside, so the backpack would cushion it as I threw it back to Jack. I watched as he caught the backpack.

And I smiled. I smiled at the fact I had saved a Pokemon's premature life. It made me feel better, to ignore all of life's problems. I know, sounds corny and shit, but it really did.

But, of course, a couple hundred pounds of speeding blue metal had to go and fuck it all up.

* * *

**So! That was chapter one! Did you enjoy it? Are the OCs** **good? Is the storytelling fabulous? XD **

**If you didn't notice, I tried to make it sound like a person actually telling a story, not just someone writing a person telling the story. You know what I mean? Like I wanted it to sound as though it'd be from someone's memory, like a story they'd tell around a campfire about their past. -sigh- Never mind, I know it makes no sense . **

**So, please review! Any guesses as to what Pokemon Ben will become? I'll give you a hint: The Pokemon's name starts with a "P". That's all I'm giving out to you guys. BYE!**


	2. I Take LSD with a Legendary

**Okay, so I must be in a writey mood since I've only posted this yesterday and I'm already updating. But be aware, I will NOT always update this frequently. If I'm in the right mood, I can pump out four or five chapters in a week. But the wrong mood, I can put out one chapter in two weeks. **

**So, please realize I will NOT always update quickly. I'm thirteen and therefore have to go to school, which is just unbearably annoying. So, basically, School + Fan fiction + Other daily stuff = A lot of freaking work. So bear with me :/ **

**Thank you kindly for all your wonderful reviews! The fact I've re-energized someone's faith in Pokemon writers makes me unfathomably happy ^_^**

**So, you sexy Swampert, read on!**

* * *

I know what you want to know.

_Gee, what's it like to die? _

You sick bastards.

It's painful. That should be obvious, and if to you that wasn't obvious, go away, because you're dumb. Too harsh? Don't care. So anyways, yeah, it hurts like a bitch, at least for me. I had my 190 pound body crushed by two tons of metal. Kind of puts a damper on your day. I felt my bones shatter under the weight of the car, and then, nothing. Just…nothing. It felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from me, like everything went away.

Then, I opened my eyes…and saw nothing but blackness.

Next, the blackness morphed into rainbows.

First person who makes a gay joke is getting their asses kicked.

That's when I met the legendary that saved me.

Okay, so now let me guess your next question.

_Gee, who was the legendary and what are legendaries like? _

As I said before, I'm the master of suspense, a "Pimp of Mystery", if you will (ooooh, I like that, one second, I got to go write that down).

…

Okay, I'm back. So, back to the point. To build suspense on who the legendary was, I'll tell you what I think about the legendaries.

Before I met the legendaries, my views on them were basically that of gratitude. Basically me saying "Thanks legendaries, you know, for creating everything and what not". I believed in them, but they weren't really important in my lives. I didn't go to those Pokemon churches that worshipped legendaries, I didn't show in any way that I believed in them and I didn't care what they had been doing. I just believed, and that was it. My favorite was Mew, and I really loved that little cat. I just thought it was so badass that this little goddess could create everything. That, to me, is just awesome.

My impression of the legendaries after meeting them? They're fucking _assholes. _

They think they're so high and mighty, they stand up there in some kind of weird universe in the sky and fuck with your life. Some treat you like shit, while others barely care about you. Hell, some of them are evil! And the most messed up thing? Some of them _enjoy _fucking up lives. You see? Most of them are sick fucks.

Ho-Oh, Celebi and Mew are pretty chill though.

So basically, I was floating in some kind of limbo (who decided to name the place between life and death after a back-bending game?) full of rainbows and wondering what the hell was going. How was I alive? Was I alive? Was I tripping on LSD? Was I in hell? Were these hellish rainbows? Because that'd be badass.

Then, the bird appeared.

As I said, Ho-Oh's a pretty chill dude. Funny as hell and wise as fuck. If you were to run into a legendary in a dark alley, he'd be the one you'd want to run into. Don't _ever _make fun of him because when he flies he leaves rainbows. I once saw even Mew look a little frightened when she made a side comment on how silly it was that Ho-Oh made rainbows. What I'm trying to say is Ho-Oh will fuck shit up. End of story.

So there I was, floating in a hellish rainbow limbo with a legendary. If this wasn't LSD induced, I don't know what it could've been.

"Hey dude."

Ho-Oh's voice, like most other male legendaries, had a booming voice that would've knocked me off my feet had I not been floating. It was pretty annoying.

"Oh, sorry, my voice gets loud a lot. I usually do that to piss of Arceus. Anyways, hey," Ho-Oh explained.

I just stood (floated, whatever) there in awe. What should I have said? What _could _I say? This was a legendary, no doubt. I was looking at a legendary. It's a real "Holy shit OMGWTFBBQ" moment. Never met a legendary? Sucks for you.

You can't see this, but I'm sticking my tongue out. Maturity be damned.

Finally, I regained my voice after standing there practically drooling like someone from the short bus. "Um…hi." Truly, such an epic sentence shall go down in history as one of the greatest sayings of the millennia. If it doesn't, I'll be suing my agent for not getting the phrase bigger publicity.

"So…" Ho-Oh began, sort of at a loss for words. Yeah, _he _was at a loss for words. "Sorry, give me a second, this shit is always awkward. There isn't much of a good way to tell someone they've died."

Well, that's one way to say it.

I was dead. It began to sink in, and suddenly that weight came back. I couldn't be dead! That's bullshit! It's a joke, it had to be! I'm not dead, I'm not dead. I couldn't have been. I had to have survived. How would my friends react? My parents? Caitlyn? More on my ex later.

"So…so I'm dead?" I choked out.

Ho-Oh nodded as if this shit was a daily occurrence for him. "'Fraid so, my friend. Now, I'm not going to drag this out. I hate beating around the bush. You're in my little section of limbo right now because I've selected you to become a reborn."

"Reborn?" I didn't even notice my voice cracking each time I spoke. So I was shaken up, sue me. You would be too.

Ho-Oh sighed. "I hate explaining this crap," he muttered. "Basically, a reborn is a human who died, then they were brought back to life as a Pokemon by a legendary."

My jaw dropped. Damn. That's some heavy shit to drop on a teenager in one sentence. "Are all Pokemon reborn humans?"

Ho-Oh chuckled (seriously, who can chuckle when someone has just died?). "Hell no, kid. Just a couple. Basically, legendaries do this for various reasons, just for kicks, they were bored, or in my case, they saw someone who died who had a bad life or was a bad person. You were a bad person with a bad life. Don't even say anything against it, you were. Don't lie. Now listen, I'm not going to hold that against you, trust me."

I frowned. Even if Ho-Oh wasn't holding it against me, he said I had been a bad person, and I knew he was right. A legendary just called me a douche on the day I died. Yep, I was _really _saddened by this. No shit.

"So, I've decided to give you a chance at a better life. A new life and a new hope. A hope that you'll become a better person," Ho-Oh said, staring into my eyes, looking into my soul, basically telling me my life sucked so bad he was giving me a new one. Damn.

I stuttered out, "S-S-So, I'll be reborn as a Pokemon? W-Which one?"

Ho-Oh shrugged his wings. "Hell if I know. We got this big wheel that we spin to determine what Pokemon reborn humans become. It's random, and fun to spin since it lights up. Personally, that wheel was one of Mew's greatest creations."

The thought of it being random scared me. I did _not _want to be a Magikarp.

"So, time to go buddy! Talk to you later!" Ho-Oh exclaimed with a grin on his beak.

My eyes widened. "What the fuck? I still have questions!"

But too bad, because suddenly I giant gust of wind shot out of Ho-Oh's wings, causing my to fly backwards into the rainbows. Colors all around me began to fade away. Blues, greens, reds, yellows, purples…all of them disappearing as the blackness returned. But this blackness was different. I wasn't in another limbo, I was in some sort of cage, or a case.

An egg.

_Fuck you Ho-Oh, _I muttered internally. _So, now I'm a Pokemon. Which one? _

I couldn't tell, being stuck in a damned dark egg. So, I did the only thing an impatient baby Pokemon would do: I went batshit crazy. I bashed my head against the walls, kicked and punched, and just flailed around. It began to hurt my tiny body, but I could care less. I wanted out, I was getting claustrophobic, and I didn't even _have _claustrophobia.

Finally, with a final head butt, I smashed a piece away of the egg, then flailed around some more, causing the rest of the egg to smash.

So now, I was in the real world. As a Pokemon.

My mind should be swirling with a trillion thoughts, but I only had one going through my head: _I better be something badass. _

* * *

**Oh my Mew this is fun to write! I just love the characters and how my writings improved over the years…gah, I love this!**

**Also, I should tell you guys that I normally don't write as long chapters as I did in chapter one. Usually 1500 to 2000 is my usual length for a chapter for my fics. I guess last time I was really creative, so therefore wrote so much :/ Just be warned that sometimes chapters may be shorter than you would like them to be. Sorry :(**

**So, if you guys wouldn't mind, click that little review button, then type out nice words about how awesome this is. It'd mean a lot, and I'd love you forever. I'd love you like I love Flareon, the best Pokemon ever…okay, I can't love anyone THAT much! But it'll be close if you review ^_^ SO DO IT!**


	3. I Explain Rebirth from a Sink

**Third chapter, about two days after chapter two's been posted. Wow, I must really enjoy writing this fic ^_^**

**So, I was a little shocked that barely anyone guessed what Pokemon he might be. Not guessed correctly, just guessed in general. Come on guys, SHOW SOME SPIRIT!…Don't know where that one came from :/**

**So, are you ready? Finally, this chapter shall reveal Ben's true Pokemon identity! DUN DUN DUN! Want to find out what it is? Read on to find out. **

* * *

You know how this story started out basically having me bitch about the cold? Well, when you're a Pokemon, you come out of your egg covered in cold, sticky goop. So, when you enter the world in Sinnoh, the cold climate hits your already cold body, and you feel like you're going to die of frostbite on the spot.

Like I've said before, fuck Sinnoh climate, Hoenn climate, rock on forever.

I fell out of my egg, hitting some hard floor or something. I tried to lift my tiny new body with my arms, but when I looked through goop covered eyes, I realized I had no arms. I had wings.

_Okay, I'm a bird, _I ran through my head. _So…which one? _

I imagined how many flying types there were. Good Mew, there's a lot. If I had to pick personal favorites, I'd hope to be something like Honchkrow or Swellow. Swellow, because that thing is speed incarnate, and I've always had a sweet spot for the bird ever since I saw one steal Jack's ice cream once as it flew by. Pretty hilarious, you had to be there. Sobbed like a bitch. And just because he was five doesn't mean that justifies it. And Honchkrow, because that thing looks like a pimp, and I'm a Pimp of Mystery. We just _go _together.

I suddenly realized I couldn't even speak. Not even squawk (or whatever sound the bird I was made). I had guessed since my vocal chords had just developed, they might need some time to get ready for speaking and what not. What? Don't look at me like that, I don't know what the hell I'm saying or why I couldn't speak! I'm just making stuff up, I don't know why I couldn't for a while. I just couldn't. Ugh.

I shivered like a wet Rattata on the desk or wherever it was. That was when someone wrapped me up in a towel. The towel was wet and warm, and I snuggled into it immediately.

"Welcome to the world, little guy," a familiar voice whispered down to me.

My eyes shot open, which was stupid since more embryo goop shit got in them.

_Not him! Not him! Please I don't want to be with him!_

I remembered the accident. When I threw the backpack in the street, I saw the glowing egg. Then Ho-Oh told me I was to be reborn as a Pokemon. Pokemon come from eggs. Of course he would send me to the egg of a person I know!

_Ho-Oh, you sick prick. _

I suddenly was taken away by Jack, of all people, to a bathroom to get this shit off me. Oh well, I was grateful for that, at least. I needed to get embryo goop off of my. Stat.

So, with my vision blurred, I had guessed we had entered a bathroom. I could make out the shape of a toilet and a sink, so not that much of a guess. Jack reached over, still cradling me with one arm (insert "ugh" here), and turned on the sink just a little bit, so as not to drown me. Gee, thanks.

He held me under the small stream of warm water that trickled down the faucet, rubbing all the goop off of me. I flapped my wings rapidly as I got annoyed by his constant prying of my body. I mean, would you want to be manhandled by a dude ten times your size? I think not, unless you're one of those weird people who don't get out much.

Finally, all that weird ass juice was off me, and I thanked the legendaries for creating towels. Whether they directly or indirectly made them was of no importance to me. I was warm! And that was all that mattered.

I looked up, craning my new neck up to see Jack grinning, but I could see a little sad glint in his eyes. "Hey there. Welcome to the Valentine residence. Can't believe I've got a Pokemon now."

I scoffed. "Well dumbass, might help if you told me what kind of Pokemon _I am._"

Well, _now _my vocal chords worked.

Jack's sad eyes widened in fear as he dropped me into the sink (thanks again, Jack) and stumbled backwards. He fell backwards into the shower, getting caught up in the shower curtain, flailing around. After a second, he freed himself from the curtain and stood up against the wall, looking as scared as a Glameow under an Arcanine's gaze.

"How can you sound like him?" Jack whispered. "I saw him. Ben died. I saw him. He saved you, and died for it. I was there. I saw him. Ben died. I was there."

I tried to angle my head to look at him. It's hard when you can't turn since I couldn't walk or fly. "You're repeating yourself," I absentmindedly pointed out to him.

"The doctors said I might be in shock. It was only yesterday I saw you, no, him die. He died. I was there. I'm fine. It's just shock. Ben is dead."

I was getting pissed. "Look, tell me what Pokemon I am!"

"Pidgey!" Jack cried out. "You're a Pidgey. Just a Pidgey. Not Ben. Ben is dead. He died. I'm in shock. This is all shock. You're a Pidgey. Just a Pidgey."

I sighed in relief. _At least I'm not some shit Pokemon like Zubat or Mew forbid, Wingull._

"Could I talk you for a second? Without you flipping your shit?" I asked. I understood he was in shock, but dude, seriously, shut the hell up.

Jack stared at me. "You sound just like him," he stated simply.

"I _am _him," I tried to reason.

"You can't be! You're a Pidgey, just a Pidgey, I'm in shock…" Jack sunk down and sat on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Now, due to me being in the sink, I couldn't see him.

Time to make him believe. "My name is Benjamin Sebastian James Hudson. I live in the most Podunk town ever Twinleaf. Our teacher is Mr. Scott Butcher, but everyone calls him Bitcher. A Swellow stole your ice cream cone when you were five and I laughed my ass off. When you grow up, you want to be a big Pokemon professor, such as Oak or Birch. I know this because everyone wrote essays for school about what they wanted to be and I stole yours, read it, ripped it and got in trouble with Bitcher. I saved your egg after I threw it in the street after you kept telling me I couldn't read which just says you suck at comebacks because those were terrible. Seriously, you have much to learn."

Silence. There was silence for a while.

Which is annoyed seeing as my feathery ass was lying down in a sink basically unable to move. Not fun. The almighty Pidgey shall not stand for this! I have feathers! I have rights damn it!

"You are him." The voice is sad and I could tell he was on the brink of tears. "It's you. Benjamin Sebastian James Hudson."

I chuckled a bit. "In the feathers, pansy." Meh, not the best thing to say, but I don't like getting all dramatic or teary eyed. Not for me. No thank you.

"How…how are you like this?" Jack mumbled.

I explained to him about what Ho-Oh had done, and how I ended up in Jack's egg.

"Legendaries, death, reincarnation…" Jack stuttered out, standing back up running his hands through his hair. "This is both fascinating and terrifying."

I snorted. "Oh shut up. Don't over exaggerate. Fascinating? Yes. Terrifying? No. Definitely not. Now could you help me up out of here? I can't walk, douche bag."

Jack sauntered forward, picking me up. "And don't get handsy."

Jack looked catatonic. "How can I understand you?"

Good question. "Hell if I know. It's not like I'm supposed to know how to work this shit. All I know is that I have a new life as a Pidgey and I live with you in your house…now the thought of living with you sinks in and I officially want to fly away. But no. Stupid fucking underdeveloped wings."

Jack muttered, "You won't live here for long."

"Huh?"

"One week, I go on my Pokemon journey, battling the gym leaders and making my way through the Sinnoh League."

My new eyelids began to droop. "Sounds fun. I get to beat the hell out of shit and not get in trouble. Sweetles. Now go find me a pillow, I'm sleepy."

_One week, _I thought. _One week, and I start to kick some ass without troubles, get free food and shelter. This is pretty chill. Nothing could go wrong. _

A fool's words.

* * *

A large cruise liner amid the vast sea just outside of Sinnoh sat still as all its rich inhabitants smiled and laughed as they partied. They sipped their champagne and ate their fine food. They showed off their extremely rare Pokemon, from rare species like Milotic or Garchomp or even a few shiny Pokemon that showed off their vibrant colors.

Now, I know what you're thinking. _Where the fuck did we just go and how do you know this is going on? _Well, like I said, this a cruise liner, and I know of the events because I was filled in on it by Ho-Oh later on. It's important in the long run. Now shut up and eat your damn popcorn.

Little did the rich guests know, they were all going to die.

Bella Reed never took her jobs lightly. In her twenty nine years of life she had been a waitress, a bank teller, a secretary. She worked her ass off all of her life, and never got enough money to pay the rent. Never was appreciated. So, for the last five years, she stopped all that shit, and focused on something else: Pokemon. She traveled throughout Sinnoh and even illegally imported Pokemon to her, all for one main goal, to be accepted into the rising Pokemon criminal organization, Team Nightshade. Over her years, she trained up four Pokemon, all with specific skills to further her goals. She trained them as hard as possible, to one hundred and fifty percent. They were close to flawless, because she made them that way. She took them, broke their spirits and made them her pawns. They were going to finally earn her the right to get into Team Nightshade, so she could get the money she deserved.

Bella remembered how she followed a Team Nightshade member back to their hideout. The member she followed was executed for leading someone to their hideout. Before she had been killed, Bella had shouted "I want to join!"

The boss, hidden behind a desk shrouded in shadows, hiding his identity. "Stop!" he croaked out. His voice, she had remembered, was gruff and old, as if it sounded broken by years of hard work and effort. "Let the young lady speak."

The grunts that had began to pull their knives on her stepped back, following their orders like good grunts do.

Bella stood her ground. "I want to join Team Nightshade. My name is Bella Reed and I'm willing to go through any sort of initiation you need me to go through to become a member. I have the Pokemon, and they're strong enough for me to be classified as an Admin if you were to let me join."

"Show me these Pokemon."

Bella pulled out her Pokeballs, and released her four soldiers. A Dragonair, a Machoke, an Aggron and an Ariados came out, standing at the ready for commands from their master.

"Hm, impressive. I can see you've trained them well, much more well then most of my grunts have trained their own," the boss mused.

The grunts that had had their knives pulled out grumbled at the indirect insult.

Bella nodded. "They follow my every command, and they are just as willing to do anything to get in as I am."

The boss chuckled. "How wonderful. Well, if you want to be an Admin, I shall give you an Admin worthy mission. To get in, you must succeed this mission to my precise directions. If not, and you slip up, I will personally kill you and take your Pokemon as my own."

Bella tried to hide the fact she flinched to no avail. "Yes sir."

The boss burst out laughing, slapping his foot against the floor. "You must be one desperate little lass!" the old voice croaked heartily.

"I'll do anything," Bella repeated. "Give me my mission."

The boss motioned to his grunts. "Likes to get down to business, I like this one," he chuckled. "Alright, Miss Bella Reed, there's a cruise liner on the outside of Sinnoh. A couple miles south of the little town Twinleaf. Big ship, shouldn't miss it. Find a way to get there. All of its passengers are filthy rich, which means they'll be doing the one thing rich people do: show off their valuables. In today's day and age, Pokemon are some of the most valuable things on the planet. Retrieve every single Pokemon there and kill all humans. No one must survive. If they do, I have the power to track you down to wherever you try to hide, Miss Bella Reed. And once you're tracked, you're dead. End of story. The only thing that shall be provided are the required Pokeballs and a bag to carry then in. Think you can handle this mission, Miss Reed?"

Bella glared at the shadowed man. "Of course I can."

"Then get your ass out of here, head out to the ship, fulfill your duties and return within twenty four hours. If so, you'll be an official member of Team Nightshade."

"With pay?"

"Of course, my dear."

And that was all Bella needed to head towards the ship south of Twinleaf. She rode on the back of Dragonair, as the dragon type shot through the water with amazing speed. The ship had come into view, and finally, her dragon slowed to a stop right beside it. Bella released her Ariados which latched onto the side of the boat.

"Shoot a web up to the top so I may climb it," Bella commanded.

Ariados obediently shot the web up which attached itself to part of the deck. Bella grabbed it and give it a good tug. Enough to support her weight. Perfect. She hoisted herself up, recalling Dragonair as she and Ariados climbed up the ledge. Reaching the top, Bella scanned the area. Few people were on the deck, most were inside, escaping the cold. About ten security guards stood around the premises, readied for anything.

"Poison Sting," she commanded.

Ariados opened its mouth and released dozens of glowing purple needles from its maw. The needles jabbed into the passenger's and guard's bodies. Ariados kept firing, shooting dozens into each person on deck. The few Pokemon that were released by their masters had become affect to. Pokemon could handle poisoning better than humans, seeing as a Pokemon's poison to a Pokemon is only a means of knocking it out. Pokemon's poison to humans is highly lethal with enough injections. All the passengers and guards collapsed as the poison coursed through their systems. The Pokemon fell and fainted at the severe poisoning. Bella leapt up onto the deck, pulled a couple Pokeballs and captured the Pokemon. Then, Bella found the other Pokeballs that belonged to the passengers containing their other Pokemon. She sacked those too.

Bella released Dragonair, Aggron and Machoke. "Dragonair and Ariados, kill every single human in there. Do not hesitate for anyone except me. Aggron and Machoke, knock out every Pokemon in sight."

With that, Bella made her way over to the doors to the inside of the boat. She kicked them open, looking at the large crowd of partygoers.

"Now, go!" Bella yelled to her Pokemon.

They all leapt forward, and followed their master's orders. Dragonair began wrapping its slender snake-like body around people's necks, snapping them quickly as it moved on to the next group. Ariados released its Poison Sting, injecting every passenger and guard with its venom. Machoke had a bloodied Lucario and shiny Typhlosion at its feet. Aggron was beating multiple Pokemon that had tried to gang up on it. A Delcatty who scratched at his chest found its body crushed under Aggron's fist. A Toxicroak leapt forward for a Brick Break only to have Aggron use protect then Iron Tail to the face. It may not have been very effective, but enough power to knock it out. Aggron continued its brutal assault on the Pokemon as well as Machoke.

Bella walked around, unaffected by the bloodied bodies around her. She collected all the Pokeballs with Pokemon that hadn't been released in them, chucking them into her bag. Then, she pulled out empty Pokeballs and collected all the knocked out Pokemon, bagging those as well. Soon enough, every human on board had been massacred, and all the Pokemon had been captured.

And Bella couldn't help but giggle gleefully at a job well done.

* * *

**Okay, so…yeah. I didn't even plan to introduce the main villains in this chapter, but you know what? Screw that, I decided it! I thought of Team Rocket, but then I thought, "Well, how about I just make up my own team? Why not? Galactic in canon messed up and disbanded." So yeah, goodbye Galactic. Hello Nightshade ^_^**

**But let's not focus entirely on the villains. So yes, Jack can understand Ben. I'm sick of reading reborn fics where no human can understand their reborn Pokemon until ninety or so chapters into the story! It bugs me, so I'm skipping the cliché and going with this. It'll be explained more detailed next chapter. **

**So, what do you think of Ben and Jack's current situation? Ben's current new form? The villains? Tell me in that little thing called a review. It'd help lots. **


	4. I Annihilate Awkward Silence

**Update yet again. I think I'm becoming known in this fic as the guy who updates a lot. Nice XP**

**Bella Reed, you controversial girl, you! Okay, not really controversial (lol) but she did get mixed reactions, which is cool. Addressing the one about how it was cliché to have a villain with "flawless" Pokemon, I didn't mean for them to be actually flawless. Bella just thinks they are, but trust me, they were never meant to be flawless, she just believes them to be. It's like the dude from the games, Mr. My-Rattata-Is-The-Top-Percent-Of-Rattata XP Does that poor excuse that I just made up make it less cliché?…wait, you weren't supposed to know that…oops.**

**So, Ben is a Pidgey. Anyone saw that coming? Just wondering. **

**But you know what? Enough of my insufferable blabbering. This is no time for talk, it is time for war! -unsheathes sword- Let us fight to the death! Er, I mean read on, guys. **

* * *

"So, there's this question that's been on my mind since the whole sink scenario," I said to Jack.

I sat against a pillow, sighing contently as I had just finished a wonderful nap. Jack sat there, looking at his hands. I was glad his parents were out taking his little sister to a soccer game, otherwise they'd notice him talking to a Pidgey. A new thought popped up: Could other people hear me? More on that later though.

"I have about a million questions on my mind now," Jack said in shock.

I groaned. "Enough with the dramatics! Your questions are going to be answered…someday…I think…next time I see Ho-Oh, or if I see him, I'll ask him about all this stuff, kay? _Anyways, _back to more important stuff, like _my _questions. Why does someone who wants to grow up to be a Pokemon professor want to go on a journey as a Trainer?"

Jack kept his eyes on his hands, and I thought I knew why. I think he couldn't bear to look at me, to look into my eyes and see the boy who died for his Pokemon. It'd be too much, I would imagine.

Jack began to explain. "Think about it. The world's most renowned Pokemon professor is Professor Samuel Oak. And _he _was a Trainer. He traveled across Kanto, met and caught Pokemon. Trainers learn more about Pokemon than someone cooped up in a laboratory ever could. They befriend Pokemon, they see them in their natural habitats, they see new kinds in new places. If I were to stay in Twinleaf, I'd never be able to see any of that. I'd never be able to amount to a decent Pokemon Professor. If I can travel through Sinnoh, I can get more accurate descriptions of Pokemon firsthand in their natural habitats. It's perfect."

I shrugged the best as a bird with no shoulders could. "Eh, makes sense I guess. So…I'm your starter?"

Jack nodded. "Guess so."

"Are you going to nickname me something retarded like Wing or something? Or am I sticking by Ben?"

Jack stood up from his bed, and paced around his room. "I…I don't know. I don't even know if I _could _call you Ben."

I looked at him strangely, not knowing what the hell he meant. "And why not?"

Jack stopped, his back turned to me, staring at wall. "It just…reminds me."

"Of what?"

"Of you!" Jack cried. "Do you even know how I feel when I think about you? I don't _want _to think of you. Whenever I do now, everything gets so cluttered. I don't know whether to hate you or be grateful of you. Hate you for the torture you put me through. Maybe that's a little dramatic, but I'm in a dramatic mood."

_I can tell. _I kept that thought inside my head, though.

"For years, you pushed me, you shoved me, you beat me, you associated most of my family members with false accusations of sexual relations with Bidoof!"

_Good times. _

"And then, after years of thinking I know who you are, you finally show some good in you. You saved my egg, you risked your life all for an egg. You could've stood there and watched it be smashed beneath someone's tires, but you jumped in front of a speeding car. I don't even know what to think of you."

I chuckled. "I'm pretty mysteriously awesome like that." Obviously, I failed at lightening the mood.

Jack ignored me. "Then, whenever I thought of you after the accident, all I could see was your body. Your cold, lifeless body, sitting there in the road, crushed my tons of metal. That image…I can't stop thinking about it. I close my eyes…" This is when I knew he was crying. I could tell because he was breathing heavily and stopping between words to take breaths. "…and every time I close them, I just see your corpse on the road. Lying there, dead. I watched you die. And now you came back as my Pokemon and all I can think of when I look at you is every memory of you I've ever had. Every memory that makes me want to hate you. The way you laughed at me, the way you hit me, the way you never left me alone. Too many hateful memories when I look at you, when I think of you, or hear your name."

I sighed. As I've said before, I'm not good with this teary eyed bullshit, and I never will be. But, here was my pitiful attempt at trying.

"Well…um…you could name me something else…" I mumbled. "I know it wouldn't help much, but maybe it'll…I dunno, help with your memories."

Jack wiped his eyes and turned to me. "What name would you want?"

"Erm…I don't know…" I looked out of Jack's bedroom window, pondering an idea. Then, like a first grader, I said the first thing I saw. "Cloud."

"Cloud?"

"Cloud."

"Why Cloud?"

"Meh, I dunno, muttered the first thing I saw." I motioned my wing over to the window.

Jack shrugged. "Okay, Cloud it is then."

Silence fell over the small room. The awkward silence, the worst kind of silence. If awkward silence was a person, I'd have them executed. The moment where there's nothing to say and yet something desperately needs to be said. Awkward silence is a real bitch, if you ask me.

"So…my name's Cloud now." Truly a genius statement.

"Yeah…"

More silence.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.

"How am I going to fly? Or walk?" It was another question on my mind. How was I to fly, or walk on talons? This was all so new to me, I didn't know what do. And of course Ho-Oh never gave me tips on how to react to a new body. Legendary douche.

Jack stared at me. "Well, it'll take time to learn. Hopefully by the end of the week you'll be able to learn both. Walking shouldn't be too hard, but flying is a whole other story. Your body's changed drastically since you were human, thus granting you a whole new physiology that might be difficult to get used to. If I recall my brief notes on Pidgey, it isn't as easy as flapping your wings as hard as you can."

I frowned. "Aww, but that was my game plan!"

"I'll do a little more detailed research online to find out if there are any tips or training methods for a Trainer to help a Flying type learn to fly," Jack said, motioning to his computer.

Before I could respond, there was the sound of the front door opening, and stuff being dropped to the floor.

"We're home sweetie!"

_Time to meet the family. Oh joy. _

* * *

**And that's all folks! **

**Hooray for Jack character devolpment!**

**I know I promised an explanation to his talking to humans, but sorry. It won't fully be explained until Ho-Oh's next appearance, although we will learn more about his speech problem next chapter. Promise!**

**Teehee, flying lessons…hilarity will definitely ensue when we get to that!**

**Be kind, review, give suggestions, state opinions, tell me who your favorite character is so far. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	5. I Eat Dinner with Mutants

**SHAZAM! Another update XD**

**Before we move onto the epic story, I'd like to give an answer to a review. Basically, someone asked "Why'd Team Nightshade want Bella to kill the passengers on the ship in Chapter 3?" And I'm answering this in a note instead of a message just in case anyone has the same question. **

**One of my pet peeves for Rocket, Aqua, Galactic and all the other stuff is that they're too damn noticeable and do little to hide their existence. I mean, they're evil organizations being chased by police everywhere, and yet sometimes you can see a Galactic or Rocket Grunt just standing around. Obviously, someone will notice. So, I'd believe Nightshade started out with the same mistakes which is why they are known by some people, but learned from them and became more secretive. They wanted Bella to kill the passengers so as to tie up loose ends, so as to make it harder for the cops to find out who actually killed them, thus getting some suspicion off of their backs. **

**I don't know if that's a decent answer, but anyways, onto the fan fiction!**

* * *

You know those people who bitch about having a weird family even though you've met their family and they seem fine? Jack was one of the people who actually meant it when he admitted his family was weird.

Jack's mom had this weird ass smile plastered to her face twenty four seven. Honestly, it never disappeared. She'd just smile at everything, she even smiled when she walked into Jack's room even though her son witnessed a death yesterday. Good parenting lady, just act like nothing happened. That's healthy.

If you didn't sense the sarcasm, get the hell out of my kitchen.

Jack's father literally could be the Incredible Hulk on steroids. The man was humongous in muscle mass. How did genes from _that _monster create a skinny little bitch like Jack? The guy's t-shirt stretched against his muscles and I swear the guy's chest was larger than most stripper's. I made a mental note not to piss of Dr. Roidz over there.

Jack's little sister, Suzie, was just a little oddball. I know oddball sounds like an outdated word and weird coming from a fifteen year old, but that girl was an oddball. For one, she wore a trench coat over her soccer uniform that was ten times her size. She also wore a Halloween mask with devil horns and a nasty metallic grin and all the good stuff you need in a Halloween mask.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Jack was the closest thing to normal in his family.

…

Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

The whole crazy circus freak family staggered into his room (Jack's dad just _barely _fit through the damn door frame).

Suzie began to pipe up in a loud, squeaky and insufferable voice. "I got a goal! I got a goal! I kicked a goa-_PIDGEY!_" Suzie immediately took sight of me and hauled ass over towards me, then, without warning, grabbed my wings by the tips of her fingers. "Cool! This'll be great to throw at people!"

"Let me go you crazy bitch!" I squawked loudly.

Jack quickly leapt into action, grabbing and holding me in his arms. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Don't take him away!" Suzie groaned behind her mask. "He was happy!"

She thought I was happy?

Wait…she couldn't understand me.

I looked over at his parents. "Yo, Roid Monkey and Botox Bitch!" I shouted. This caused Jack to cover up my beak with his hand frantically.

"Shut up!" Jack yelled at me.

"Dude, they can't hear me!" I said happily.

Finally, the parents realized I was present. His mother was the first to speak. "Jack, was that the Pokemon from the egg?"

_No shit lady._

"Yeah Mom," Jack said, petting my head, which isn't as annoying as I thought it'd be. "I've got a Pidgey. This is Cloud."

I smiled. "Yes, I am Cloud, conquering bird, destroyer of the weak, master of all sexiness!" I shouted.

"He's loud," Jack's father said simply. His voice was deep and intimidating. Then again, anyone would be intimidated by someone who's muscles are larger than their head.

Then, his mother began to go off on this long tangent about how Jack needed to teach me to be house trained (already covered) and all the other stuff a Trainer needs to do with their Pokemon before their journey. All the while I sat in Jack's arms making fun of his family which is just a riot. Although I did shiver every time I saw his mom smile. Seriously, I _still _sometimes have nightmares about that creepy bitch.

After she finished her tangent, Jack's mother clapped her hands. "Time for dinner!"

* * *

Dinner was uneventful, and I was only fed a little piece of waffle (don't ask why they ate waffles for dinner, because I don't even know) but since my stomach had been significantly shrunken down it was enough to keep my hunger at bay. At least for a little while. Because then, the hunger got to be too much…it took over…I began to eat everything in sight…then I blacked out. When I awoke, I was surrounded by dead bodies and blood was dripping from my beak.

Okay, fine, that didn't happen…but that'd be one hell of a plot twist.

After dinner, Jack took me up to his room, setting me down on his pillows. It pissed me off that I couldn't fly or walk and that I had to be carried like some baby. Well, technically I _was _a baby Pidgey. I have only one response to that argument.

Fuck it.

"Whatcha doin'?" I mumbled from the pillow.

Jack sat at his computer, clicking away and moving his mouse around. I tried to crane my neck to see if could glimpse anything.

"That better not be porn, young man," I said sternly.

Jack gave a dry chuckle. "Even death can't stop your oh so witty humor."

"Psh, _nothing _can stop me. Bitch."

Jack sighed. "Anyways, I'm researching-"

"Googling," I corrected, just to be smug about it. Why? Because I felt like it.

"-a Pidgey's flight patterns, wing span and any tips for Trainers on how to help them fly."

I shrugged. "Still think it's porn."

Before Jack could reply, I heard his mom call down to him. Saying something along the lines of "Someone's on the phone, honey! It's for you, Jack! _It's a girl!_"

I couldn't help myself at the last part. I busted up laughing, unable to breathe, as Jack left the room calling me a dick as he left. I flapped my wings impatiently. "Hey! Don't leave me alone! I'm fragile! There could be…wild…Jynx that have fetishes for small birds! If I die again because you left me with an evil Jynx rapist I'm going to be pissed!"

Did I ever tell you guys I was random?

After a minute of sitting on my ass doing nothing, Jack finally returned, with a strange look on his face.

"What's up?" I asked, perplexed by his messed up expression. Seriously, Jack needed to stop with the dramatics shit. It was starting to bug me.

"It's Caitlyn…she's going to travel with us." With that, Jack took a step forward and plopped down on the bed. I now knew why he was surprised. He wasn't expecting to have a person join him on his journey before he even started.

So…now I'd have to spend months or even a year with an insufferable nerd and my ex girlfriend?

Insert dramatic and loud groan here.

* * *

**I'm not particularly happy with this chapter. I don't know, not much happens except for some Ben/Cloud style humor and the plot twist that Ben is going to be traveling with his ex. Other than that, this is about as filling as filler gets :P **

**So, did you like it? Any favorite quotes, or moments? Tell me, and you might get a cupcake! -from a friend- **_**You don't have the budget for cupcakes. **_**-me- SON OF A BITCH!**


	6. I Love Epic Flashbacks

**Can you believe it? I haven't updated in days :O But, it was because I had a virus, so now that it's gone, I now have the time to focus on his fic :D **

**Decided to do recaps for each chapter now, just so people don't forget much. **

**Recap: Jack's family is creepy and weird. Ben is random. And Caitlyn, Ben's ex girlfriend, will be traveling with them on their journey through Sinnoh. **

**Also, I decided to put the chapter titles inside the story, just because. So yeah…yeah. **

* * *

_Chapter Six: I Love Epic Flashbacks_

* * *

"This is stupid," I muttered as I tried to take step forward, my talon twisting as it touched the ground and caused me to fall. I groaned, placing a winging over my head, trying to stop the annoying headache. "What legendary suggested walking should be so fucking hard?"

It was an hour after the entire Caitlyn thing. I told Jack I wanted to learn to walk. I only asked him to help me now because I needed to get my mind off of Caitlyn. I had forgotten about her, ridden her from my memory, her existence in my world faded away. I didn't need her returning to it.

"Stop whining. You have to focus." Jack reached down and helped me up, setting me up on wobbly talons. Standing had been achieved in the first few minutes, which was an epic surprise. Then, as soon as I started walking, I fell each and every damn time.

"Stop whining? Screw you! You're not the one with feathers!" I snapped at him. "I _am _focused, short bus. It's pretty damn hard to relearn how to walk on talons."

Jack sighed. "The more you complain, the less time we have to practice before I need sleep. It's getting dark."

I snorted. "What? Is your curfew nine?" _It probably is, _I reasoned internally.

"Shut up, birdbrain," Jack scowled. "I'm already pissed at you for numerous reasons. Tick me off a little more and you can figure this out on your own without my help."

"Mhm, sure. Because you'd actually take a Pidgey with you on your journey that can't walk because its trainer was pissed. I'm sure you'd do that," I chuckled. His face reddened and he glared at me. "I win."

"Step. Forward. Now," Jack growled.

I sighed, taking a step forward, holding my wings out to their full span, trying to see if that would balance me out. I rested my talon on the wood of Jack's desk. I wobbled on my new talon slightly, but unlike the previous times, I stood firmly (well, kind of firmly, but I say technicalities can go to hell) in place.

"Okay, good," Jack said slowly. "Now, take a second step with your other talon."

"No shit, that was my next idea," I said. "Do you just have a little Pikachu running on a wheel in your head?"

No response.

I freaking win.

So, after I received no response, I took another step forward, again almost tipping over, but landed almost perfectly. A third step and I had fallen down.

"This'll take a while," Jack and I almost said in unison.

After another full hour of walking around, I perfected walking on talons. I was able to walk in a straight line, circle and any shape really. It became so natural to me so fast. One of the many perks of being a Pokemon is that Pokemon develop much faster than humans, so they can basically walk within the first few days of living and grow up faster than a human. Kicks ass, if I do say so myself.

And whatever I say is true. Write that down, peasant.

Jack smiled up from his book (watching me trying to walk for an probably _would _become boring) and gave me a thumbs up. "You finally can walk?"

"No derp," I said. I ran in a circle to show off my super awesome amazing epic skills. Those are the best kind of skills, by the way. "See? I kick ass, as usual."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "What's derp?"

"Don't question it, mind slave," I told him.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke on a large fluffy pillow. It was very fluffy. Fluff's pretty kick ass. I took my wing, wiping the sleep from my new eyes. I yawned, stretching my body out, sprawling myself back on the pillow.

"Jack, where are you?" I called out groggily.

I turned my head to see Jack pulling a shirt on. Ew. He turned to me. "I'm right here. Morning."

"Ugh, when is this adventure going to start? I want to go kick some ass. Right now, there's no ass to kick. I need ass to kick!" I whined, flapping my feathers wildly.

Jack finished buttoning up his shirt. "We're going somewhere."

"Chuck E. Cheese?" I asked hopefully.

"Caitlyn's house," he said, reaching down for his shoes.

I groaned. "Let's leave the wench behind! If you need a companion, we'll make enough money in trainer battles, then pay a hooker to come with us full time. That'll work!"

Why are you looking at me funny? Screw you, it was worth a shot.

"I'm not traveling with a hooker, idiot," Jack said glaring at me.

I held out my two wings. "Let's balance this out. Caitlyn," I held out my left wing. "Or hooker," I held out my right wing. I lowered my left wing and raised my right wing. "The wing has spoken. Choose the hooker."

Jack ignored me, which pissed me off. It wasn't fun if there was no reaction.

Jack grabbed me up in his arms. "You do know this could be considered kidnapping in some far off region, right?"

"We're going to Caitlyn's so we can finalize this whole thing. Lay down the ground rules and what not."

"Kay, ground rule one. Caitlyn is not allowed to travel with us."

"Ground rule two. Ignore ground rule one."

With that, I was taken away from the bedroom and towards my doom.

Dramatic, no?

* * *

So now, let me guess what you're wondering.

_Why do you hate Caitlyn so much? What happened, Mr. Sexy Narrator Man? _

Well, for one, she's my ex. Duuuuuh.

But you want the full story don't you? Flashback time, since I love a good flashback.

* * *

_It was a normal day like any other. I was walking down the short and small streets of Twinleaf, hands hidden in my jeans pockets. I adjusted my sweatshirt, pulling the hood over my head, trying to escape Sinnoh's constant climate. _

_As I said before, it was a normal day like any other, so I went through the normal procedures. Woke up, hugged Mom and Dad, watched Little Mermaid (fuck you that movie's epic), took a walk, saw Jack, pushed him down a snow hill. The usual. Then, I noticed something unusual on my little stroll of wonder. A girl was sitting in the snow in front of one of the houses. She wore jeans and a t-shirt saying "Taste the Rainbow Mother F*cker" (I still want that shirt). Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her face had a soft frame to it, and I noticed she was Asian, which meant she _definitely _wasn't originally from Twinleaf. I also took note that her face had been stained by tears. As I've said before, I'm not good with that whole teary eyed bullshit, but I just couldn't walk past a crying girl. Curiosity got the better of me. _

_I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets, making my way over to the girl. "Hey," I greeted. _

_The girl looked up rubbing her eyes to try and hide her tears. "Oh, hello." _

_I shifted my weight on one leg. "Um…why are you crying?" I asked._

"_M-My Pokemon, Jane, ran away," the crying girl explained. "I've been looking for an hour, and I can't find her."_

_I knew if I questioned further that'd I probably would end up having to help her, and I really wasn't in the mood to spend an hour looking for someone's pet. But yet again, curiosity got the better of me. Curiosity's a douche bag. "Um…what Pokemon is it?"_

_The girl sniffled a bit. "Jane is an Eevee. I know those are super rare, but I got it from my uncle last year for my birthday. He's a breeder from Kanto. She just ran off through the snow, chasing after a Bidoof." _

_I chuckled. "Bidoof are annoying as hell." _

_No response. _

_What? They _are _annoying. _

_I rubbed the back of my head as an awkward silence fell over us. "Er, what's your name?" _

"_Caitlyn Chao." _

"_Ben Hudson." _

"_Um…cool." _

"_Yeah." _

_My mortal enemy awkward silence is back yet again. If only I had my magical staff, I could kick ass. Sadly, my magical staff does not exist as of yet. Damn you, slow progression of magic in today's modern society. _

"_Let me make you an offer," I began, "let me help you find Eev-Jane. We'll look together until we find her." _

_Caitlyn's frown shifted into a smile. "You'll…you'll help me?" _

"_Sure, why not? Got nothing better to do." _

_With that act of kindness, we began our trek around Twinleaf, looking desperately for Jane the Eevee. As we walked, Caitlyn began to tell me a bit about herself. She moved to Twinleaf from Lilcove in Hoenn. Why her parents thought it was smart to move from paradise to a fucking block of ice, I'll never know. She mentioned about having two other Pokemon, Percy, a Minun and Shannon, a female Nidoran. She also said she'd been here a week, which surprised me since word travels fast in Twinleaf and I hadn't even heard of her. Caitlyn explained she had no friends at all in Twinleaf, and was incredibly shy so therefore wasn't good with other kids her age. _

"_Eh, doesn't matter. Most kids in Twinleaf are idiots," I admitted. "You wouldn't want them as friends anyways." _

_Caitlyn giggled a bit. "You don't seem like an idiot. You seem…sweet." Caitlyn blushed as she said it. _

_I smiled. "Not many people say that about me. Thanks." _

"_No pro-Jane!" _

_Caitlyn ran to the left, trudging through the snow and picking up something. Turning around, she revealed she was cradling a small Eevee in her hand. Jane cuddled up to Caitlyn, letting out a happy "Vee!" as Caitlyn scratched her behind the ears. _

"_Don't run off like that again!" Caitlyn scolded. Jane's only response was a purring that looked like it made Caitlyn's heart melt. _

_I'd say it was sweet if I didn't feel bile rising in my throat. _

_What? I was _kidding_, don't give me a weird look. God, take a freaking joke. _

"_Thank you!" Caitlyn said happily. "I'd have never found her without you!"_

_Caitlyn probably would've found Jane after a while without me, but I wasn't about to tell her that. "It was no problem." _

_Suddenly, to my surprise, Caitlyn wrapped me in a light hug, making sure Jane wasn't getting squished by our hug. "Really, thank you. You're the only kid I've actually hung out with in this town." _

_We pulled away from each other, leaving me blushing. _

_Yes, I blushed. _

_Stop giggling, you pricks. _

"_Um…" Caitlyn began, at a loss of words. A few seconds later she regained her speech. "Would you like to…uh, hang out sometimes?" _

"_Like a date?" I ventured. What? She was pretty hot and obviously liked me. Then again, every girl liked me, because I am the epitome of sexiness. You know I am, don't even try to hide it. _

"_No!" she said quickly. Too quickly. Oh yeah, still got it. "I mean, maybe. Not really…I mean…sure. A date…that sounds nice." _

_Caitlyn smiled at me, and I smiled back at her. _

* * *

I was interrupted from my epic flashback (then again all flashbacks have a bit of epicosity within them. Yes, epicosity isn't a word but I just made it one, bitch) by a loud knocking. I looked up, realizing I was in front of house in Jack's door. Before I could even say anything, Jack knocked once more and a girl opened the door.

Jack smiled. "Hey Caitlyn."

* * *

**Ugh! Finally done! This was sort of a chore to write, but I pulled on through because of the wonderful reviews you guys give. Review! It motivates me :D **

**So, we are introduced to Caitlyn. Next chapter, we'll see how she is in the present, and get a look at how Jane, Percy and Shannon (Caitlyn's Pokemon) interact with Ben. Should be fun! Stay tuned, guys!**


	7. I Am So Confused

**You do not know how fucking cold it is in Michigan. Honestly, why do you think I made this in the cold, barren Sinnoh? Because I CAN RELATE! **

**Sorry, I need to vent just tiny bit. **

**But, since it's cold as balls, I can't go outside, just finished the book I was reading so I can't read that, my DS is fucked up, so I can't play Pokemon. So, since there's nothing to do, might as well update :D **

* * *

_Chapter Seven: I Am So Confused_

* * *

Back then, I was of the opinion that Cassie Chao was evil. Like, Joker level evil. Like, "I'm going to eat your first born child" evil. Do you think I'm overreacting? Probably. Do I think I'm overreacting? Definitely, but there's no way in hell I was going to treat my ex with respect. That's a sign of weakness, and I'm a big tough manly man (loving The Little Mermaid doesn't change that).

So here we were, stepping inside Cassie's house. She had this smile on her face, but something was off. It looked as though tears had recently stained her cheeks. _Only time she thinks about me again is when I'm gone. _

"H-Hey, Jack," Cassie said, stuttering a bit.

"Hi Cassie," Jack said calmly.

Jack was, in fact, the only calm one in the living room. I was flapping my wings, trying to get out of his arms. If he'd let me go, I may be able to jump at her and put this beak to good use…

Cassie stood there awkwardly. She never was good with people, always shy and quiet.

"You…uh…want to sit?" Cassie motioned towards the couch.

"Uh, yeah."

Jack took a seat on the couch, while Cassie sat at a chair across from him, their selves being divided by a coffee table.

I decided to squawk up, since…well, fuck being quiet. "You're acting like a four year old who just got in trouble. Stop being awkward, dumbass. It's pissing me off." I flapped my feathers, agitated. "And would you let me out of your arms? This shit's annoying."

Cassie eyed me. "Is he…uh, okay?" Cassie motioned towards me, the cool mother fucker in feathers (I'm copyrighting that one of these days).

"No I'm not okay! I'm stuck with a fucking nerd for a trainer, I just died, a legendary called me an asshole, and now I have to travel with a bitch who claimed she loved me and then cheated on me with a guy who broke up with her after a week anyway! How the fuck has your week been?"

Sometimes, it's a damn curse that other humans can't hear me. That both enhances and ruins venting.

"I think he's bored," Jack muttered.

"No shit Sherlock!" I pecked at his arm, causing him to cry out. Good, douche bag.

Cassie shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Maybe he'd like to meet other Pokemon? Has he even seen other Pokemon since he's been born?"

Jack shook his head. "Not really." He looked worried, as if I'd somehow want to attack her Pokemon and kill them. Well, then again, I _was _in a fowl mood. Get it? Fowl? Foul? _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-_why aren't you laughing?

Cassie stood up. "One sec." She disappeared into her bedroom. Cassie returned a few seconds later, with some people in her hands.

Jane the Eevee, Percy the Minun and Shannon the Nidoran. I had seen them a couple times as a human. They all seemed like normal Pokemon. But trust me ladies and gentleman, when you're a reborn, there's no such thing as a normal Pokemon. They seem so cute and innocent but really their fucking insane.

Cassie put all of them on the floor, then commanded Jack to do the same with me.

"Finally, his arms were getting sweaty," I quipped. Jack flinched, wanting to reply but couldn't. Nice.

"Maybe they can be friends," Cassie suggested, smiling a bit as she did.

Cassie took a seat back at the chair and began talking to Jack about the upcoming journey, my death, and just other random shit. Basically, they left me to…mingle. Ugh.

I walked over towards the trio, wondering what they'd be like now that I could talk to Pokemon. Would they be nice? Cool? Assholes? Hell if I knew, so I basically just stood in front of them like idiots. Jane was smiling at me, Percy was eying Cassie like she was a piece of meat and Shannon was occupying herself by examining her paws.

Jane walked up to me, showing off her tiny little underdeveloped fangs as she smiled. "Hi!" Jane said cheerily. "It's very nice to meet you! I'm Jane."

"Hi," I greeted. I know I should've made some snappy comment about her enthusiasm, but she was too nice and cute for me to insult her. Damn it, I'm losing my touch. "I'm B-Cloud."

I thought I'd tell her who I really was, a human, Ben. She knew who I was, but then if I told her, she'd probably think I was crazy.

"Who the fuck cares?" Jane suddenly growled at me, her eyes becoming slits as she looked ready to kill me. "If I cared what your name was, you fucking pansy, I'd have asked."

Um…what?

Jane's anger looked as though it faded away. "Oh jeez, sorry. Did I just insult you?" I nodded, confused as all hell. "Sorry, my sister can be _so _mean sometimes."

"Your…sister?"

"Yep, her name's Jane too. Cassie only named us one thing even though we're different Pokemon. She's not really a people person," Jane explained. "And what the fuck is that supposed to mean? I'm a great people person!" Jane snarled at herself. Jane then looked scared and almost looked like she'd cry. "You don't have to be so mean about it!"

I just watched the argument in awe. I could've gave an insult, but then again…I didn't want to interrupt bickering sisters.

I suddenly felt a small paw patting my wing. I turned to see Percy the Minun grinning towards Jane. "Don't mind her dude, bitch is crazy. Hot, but crazy."

My eyes narrowed. "Hot?"

"Hell yeah, man. I kind of gotta thing for Eevee, wish there were some Plusle around here though. Plusle…just damn those things are sexy." Percy grinned, staring off into space as though he was fantasizing about an Eevee and a Plusle.

"Percy," a new voice muttered. I looked over to see Shannon the Nidoran walking up to Percy. "You would hump anything that moves, you nasty little pervert."

Percy chuckled. "You're just pissed since I don't want you. Princesses aren't my type."

Shannon pushed him aside. "I'm not a princess, you pompous ass." Shannon walked towards me. "I don't know if I want to meet you, you could be one of those filthy Pidgey someone found playing in a puddle of vomit, or some delinquent, but seeing as we'll be traveling together, I might as well meet you. My name is-"

Shannon looked up at me, our eyes locked together. I couldn't look away from her eyes as the world around me began to fade. Her eyes held a story, and I was in the story.

Trippy shit, man.

* * *

_A blonde girl, about fourteen, walked out of a mansion, with her father by her side. _

"_Bye Daddy!" the girl said, kissing her father's cheek as she ran out over the large lawn into a sleek, white limo. _

_The man, her father, waved goodbye as the limo disappeared. The girl sat in the back of the limo, looking happy. After a minute, the girl spoke up. _

"_Hey, are we there yet?" the girl inquired. _

_The limo driver turned around, looking at the girl from far away in the front seat. "Sorry, miss, not yet. Should be there soo-" \_

_The driver was interrupted by a loud crash as the limo slammed into another car. The driver tried to maintain control, but was shot forward into the steering wheel, unconscious. The girl screamed at what was happening before her eyes. The limo began to speed wildly down a hill, smashing into more cars. The car finally flipped on its side, and then was upside down, crashing down the narrow street. The girl's screams were silent as she hit her head on the roof of the car. The car skidded to a stop, and the girl laid silent in the car, bleeding from all of her cuts and bruises. _

* * *

The flashback ended. Shannon's eyes were wide with surprise. "You…egg…car…reborn…"

I fell backwards on my feathery ass. I looked up at the ceiling, praying for the legendaries to hear me. "What the fuck just happened?"

* * *

**This did NOT turn out how I expected it would. Jane was never originally crazy, but I thought it'd be more interesting if she was. And Shannon wasn't a reborn until I decided so, like, an hour ago. So, yesh, Ben has met his first reborn. **

**We've also learned in a throwaway line that Ben hates Cassie because she cheated on him. That'll be elaborated on later, but as of now that isn't part of the main story. It'll be in the background for a little bit before I bring it up again. **

**So please, review this chapter :D It helps a lot, and gets me motivated for future chapters ^_^**


	8. I Broke the Fourth Wall

**I'm in a happy mood, guess that's why I'm updating. Maybe it's because I might be getting a puppy around Christmas or because my b-day's in a couple days. Or maybe it's because I've just acquired magical powers that allow me to shoot laser beams from my kneecaps. **

**What, I can dream!**

**Also, I've forgotten something very, VERY important. Percy and Shannon were partially created by me, but I had help from my BFF and "wife" hup123hup123slapslap. Without her, Shannon and Percy would probably not exist. So if you're reading this, love you Hup :D **

**Recap: Ben has mentioned that Cassie cheated on him. Ben met Cassie's Pokemon, Jane the bipolar Eevee, Percy the sleazy Minun and Shannon the stuck up reborn Nidoran. Fun. **

* * *

_Chapter 8: I Broke the Fourth Wall_

* * *

I learned Shannon's real name was Kay Jensen. Apparently, her father was some famous rich dude in Goldenrod over in Johto. Her family was loaded since her grandfather was the original creator of the commonly used Potion. Yes, there were many Pokemon healing herbs and remedies, but none worked as well as the Potion. It also helped that most people never cashed in on those remedies before her grandfather did.

I learned soon after she had been heading to a huge birthday bash prepared for one of her friends. I immediately felt bad for Shannon (she said she preferred Shannon since nobody called her Kay anymore).

With tearful eyes, she looked up over at the two other Pokemon, Jane and Percy. Percy was sitting on the couch, staring at Cassie's cleavage ("You can have her," I remembered saying sometime that day) while Jane was _trying _to have a civil chat with herself.

"It's pretty outside today," Jane squeaked happily to herself. "And why would I care?" She replied harshly. "Well, maybe…I dunno, it's all sunny and flowery and luscious!" Jane's happy expression shifted into anger. "Oh yeah, so fucking sunny. I'm gonna cream myself right now."

Jane may not be well in the head, but she's cool in her own way. Nice entertainment, as well.

Shannon looked back at me, and I knew she was wishing for some arms to wipe her tears away. "I can still remember how it all felt. I w-was so terrified. The deafening s-sound of crashing metal…the pain of being tossed around in a f-f-fucking limo…god." She looked down, letting her tears fall to the carpet.

I began to rest my wing on her back (avoiding the poisonous spikes) as a sign of my sympathy, but she flinched away. "Please don't touch me. I don't know where that wing's been, and from my vision of your previous life you were dirt poor. You could've been some thug who stole money or something."

The word 'bitch' immediately came to my mind. What? I was sympathetic, but not _that _sympathetic. "You're losing my kindness here."

From the couch, Percy piped up. "That's Princess for you. She can never associate herself with lesser beings, all because she was some posh human."

Jane snorted, her bad side arising. "Did you just say posh?"

"Yes. Problem?"

"You sound like a tool when you use terms from the United Kingdom."

This was true, he did sound like a tool. And if you're asking how the United Kingdom is mentioned in a world where it doesn't exist, there's a perfectly logical explanation for that…shut up and keep reading the story.

Did I just break the fourth wall? Sweet.

Percy laughed, calling Jane a wanker, which she replied with a "suck it". My friends, ladies and gentlemen.

Shannon raised a paw, trying to wipe her eyes to no avail. "Fuck you, Percy!" she suddenly snapped. "You have no idea the shit I've been through!"

"You were given a second chance at life. There's no reason to bitch," Percy growled back, hopping down from the couch and walking over to us.

"I've lost all my friends! My father, my mother, my home. How the fuck do you expect me to react?"

"I'd want you to react with gratefulness that the gods granted you new life. You had a great opportunity and you're wasting it by spending every day bitching and moaning."

Shannon looked ready to kill. I knew I should've intervened, but then again, this was primetime entertainment.

"I have the right to!"

Percy snorted, crossing his little arms. "You have the right to shut the fuck up. Honestly, you're not the only one who's seen some messed up shit, okay? Life is one big fuck you, to humans and to Pokemon. You have to embrace it though, embrace it and overcome it. Something terrible happened to me, and I overcame it. Once I got over it, I became stronger for it. But you don't do that, you just sit on your fucking pedestal, acting as you're the queen of some place, like you're better than everyone else. I'm sick of it!"

Percy did in fact go through some serious shit. His past is pretty fucked up, and I didn't realize it then, but his past would catch up with us on our journey. But that's for later.

I'm being vague to piss you off. Why yes, I _am _evil.

Shannon huffed (she does that a lot). "Oh please, like I'm taking advice from a fucking pervert."

Percy grinned. "I'm not a pervert, I just appreciate the female body of all creatures."

Jane suddenly squeaked her way into the conversation. "Um…could you guys stop fighting? I don't like fighting."

Shannon glared at everyone. "Fine! I've decided I really shouldn't be wasting my time with a perverted ass, a bipolar bitch and some filthy Pidgey!" With that Shannon began to walk over to Cassie, nudging her leg. Cassie reached down and picked up Shannon, cradling her as she continued her conversation with Jack.

Jane began to cry. "I'm n-not a b-bit…I can't say it." Jane's eyes became slits. "Oh good god, just say bitch! You're so fucking dramatic." Then, Jane began to sob harder. Then, Jane padded away down the hall, crying.

Percy sighed. "Eh, don't mind her. She gets over shit quickly."

I almost didn't register his voice. I was too busy thinking about Shannon. On one hand, I felt bad for her because of her past. On the other hand, she called me a filthy Pidgey just because I was poor as a human. I was so conflicted about my feelings I could fucking scream.

I turned my head to Percy. "So…what did you overcome? That terrible thing?"

I was curious. Sure, it probably wasn't my place to ask him this sort of question, but fuck boundaries.

"It's personal." With that, he went silent and walked over to get a good seat in the corner, the perfect spot where he could see Cassie's chest.

Now I was alone, accompanied by no one but my own thoughts. It was a very interesting day. I had made some new friends, sort of. Shannon would probably be a frenemy (hate that word, but it was accurate) of mine, due to her standoffish nature towards those who she felt were below her. Percy seemed okay. Yes he was a pervert, but he showed that he was actually more than that, so I guess for the time being he'd be semi-friend. Jane seemed nice enough. Sure, her bitch side was a little off putting, but other than that, I liked her.

After a few seconds, I decided I needed someone to talk to. Shannon? Fuck no. Percy? He's too busy eye-fucking Cassie. Jack? Oh heeeeeeell no. I realized that nobody was going to check on Jane. Well, I did need some kind of friend on this, and I did like Jane so far, so I thought I might as well get on (both of) her good side(s).

I walked (I seriously prayed to the legendaries that I could fly right then) over to Jane in the hallway. She was still bunched up in the dark corner, but her tears were replaced with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Jane," I greeted, putting on my best nice voice. I realized I'd have to play nice a lot more now, seeing as I'm a Pokemon right now because Ho-Oh wanted to teach me a lesson.

The now devilish grin never faded. "Sup fucker."

'Sup Fucker' should be on a Hallmark card. It'd be awesome.

I chuckled. This is what I mean, even when she's in her dark side mode, she's still somewhat likeable. "You seem happier. I thought you were sad?"

Her dark inflection changed to her happy tone once more. "Oh! Whenever me and my sister get sad, we just think about our dream."

I narrowed my eyes. "Which is…?"

Jane smiled. "Evolving into a Vaporeon." Jane's tone shifted back to her darkened tone. "Vaporeon rapes the shit out of everything. Super strong, am I right or am I right? Don't answer, because I'm right. Good stats, cool looking, that thing has it all." Jane then grinned like a kid on Christmas. "It's just so cute too! We've always loved the water and swimming. Cassie sometimes takes us out to Lake Verity so we can swim." Jane laughed. "Me and Jane fucking own at swimming." Jane giggled cutely. "Yep! So whenever we're down, we think of one day being a beautiful, graceful Vaporeon."

I smiled. It was kind of sweet, but I wouldn't admit it to most people. I still got to maintain my tough guy quota, you know? "That sounds nice. I'm sure you'll be a rad Vaporeon."

I don't care if the word rad is outdated. I use it, because it's a rad word.

"You know what, Cloud," Jane said, "you seem pretty kickass."

"Thanks."

"No problem. You seem like the guy that tells it like it is. I like that in a friend."

"So we're friends now?"

"Fuck yes."

"Cool."

Jane's eyes lit up. "Yay! I love new friends!" With that, the Eevee tackled me and nuzzled her head against my beak. I didn't have the heart to push her off me.

* * *

Soon after that, Jack and Cassie were done talking, and it was time to go. Jane and I said our 'see you later' to each other. Percy and Shannon didn't say much to me, not that it bugged me. Cassie called me 'one cute bird'. I wanted to claw at her eyes with my badass talons. Jack picked me up in his arms, and after exchanging a final goodbye with Cassie, he stepped out into the chilled air of Sinnoh and shut the door behind him.

"Have fun?" Jack asked.

I shrugged. "Meh."

* * *

When we returned to Jack's house, we both went upstairs, him plopping me down on his bed. The rest of the day was spent hanging out and my first flight lesson. I didn't get very far in it. I hovered for two seconds, but was extremely tired afterwards. Won't go into too much detail, it was kind of embarrassing.

After all that, day turned to night and the sun traded places with the moon. Jack had gotten into bed under the covers, while I was at the end of the bed. Jack's snores (which were annoying as all fuck, mind you) indicated he was asleep. In fact, I was getting ready for some snooze action.

That is, until _somebody _fucked that up.

As I began to nod off, I felt myself being lifted into the air psychically. I was shit-your-pants freaked out, but when I tried to scream, my beak was shut by an invisible force. The window to Jack's room opened and I was pulled out of it. I hovered over Twinleaf, until finally coming up to a clearing in a tree-filled area just outside of Twinleaf. And wouldn't you know it, Ho-Oh was there, illuminating the dark area with rainbow-like lights shooting from his body.

The psychic force let go when I got close to the ground so I fell on my feathery ass. My feathery ass was not happy.

"The fuck was that?" I cried angrily.

I suddenly noticed that Ho-Oh was wearing some big black sunglasses, a green visor on his head and holding some cards in his right wing. "Sorry, I saw you met a reborn. You got confused, so I thought I'd explain to you what the hell happened. But this has gotta be quick, tonight's poker night, and we all just took a five minute bathroom break, so I got to be back in about four minutes, since Latias and Celebi are kicking my ass but I just _know _this hand-," he held up the cards, "-will get me the win."

Yes, the legendaries have a poker night. Nothing surprises me anymore.

"Look, I don't give two shits about your poker night!" Ho-Oh frowned at that. Oh boohoo. "Listen, all I have is one question: why is it that when I saw Shannon the reborn she saw my death and I saw hers?"

Ho-Oh sighed. "Oh yeah, that. Well, Mew thought reborn Pokemon should stick together, since they can relate and not feel alone as humans turned into Pokemon. So Mew came up with a way so that reborns could know each other when they met."

I stared at him. "Because seeing someone's death is such a good kick start to friendship."

Ho-Oh laughed. "Piss off."

There was a sudden click in the forest.

"What was that?" I asked, looking around.

Ho-Oh waved it off with a wing. "Probably just some Bidoof."

My arch nemesis.

Ho-Oh shifted awkwardly. "So, uh, can I go now that I've answered you?"

I scoffed. "Sure, whatever."

I was psychically lifted back towards my new home and then placed back at the end of the bed. I plopped down on my feathery ass yet again (I need to send some kind of complaint to the legendaries that they need to work on their psychic landings) and laid down, letting sleep get the better of me.

* * *

Bella entered the darkened room of Team Nightshade's hidden headquarters, the boss's cabin. The features of the room were faded and shadowed, so Bella couldn't tell where much was. The grunts who guarded the door glared at her when they let her in, and now they stood silently next to her, waiting for their boss to give them their next instructions. Bella stood as still as a statue.

"You may go," the shadowy boss croaked from behind his desk.

The grunts nodded, then left the room, leaving Bella alone with the boss.

"That bag looks heavy," the boss chuckled. "Is it full of Pokemon? Did you get rid of all the witnesses?"

Bella smiled. "Yes and yes, boss. But there's something much more important at hand."

The boss coughed and hacked, before continuing. "Like what?"

Bella set down the bag in front of the boss's desk, and pulled out her cell phone. She flipped through the few pictures she had taken with it. Finally, she got to the picture she needed. "Here you go," Bella said, placing her phone on his desk. "Look at the picture, boss. I couldn't believe my eyes, but it was real. I had to cover my mouth, otherwise I would've gasped."

The boss did, and there was silence as he looked at it. "This isn't a trick?"

"No sir. That is a real, genuine photo of the legendary Ho-Oh," Bella grinned happily. This would definitely get her in the ranks of Team Nightshade. "I was passing through Twinleaf to get here, saw a light and followed it. There Ho-Oh was, so I took a photo for you."

Although Bella couldn't see his face, she assumed the boss's expression was that of overwhelming shock at the photograph. "I'm going to get some of my associates to look at this to find out if it is a fake or not." The boss hacked some more, and Bella couldn't help but wonder how someone so old could run an organization like this. "If we're to say this is real, why is Ho-Oh talking to a Pidgey? And why is Ho-Oh wearing a fucking visor and sunglasses?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know, boss. But it seems as if they were conversing quite animatedly. I can't answer the shades part, though."

The boss waved a hand. "You may go. Return here tomorrow, where you will begin your first day of Nightshade training. As I said, I'm giving this phone to some colleagues so they can perform some tests to see that this hasn't been altered or something. If this is a fake, as soon as you walk in the doors to this headquarters, I'll send my administrators to kill you. If it's real, you get your phone and your first big mission as a Team Nightshade member."

Bella's smile never faltered, knowing that she wouldn't be killed because she hadn't altered the photo in any way, shape or form. "And what will my mission be, exactly?"

"If this photo is real," the boss said in his broken voice, "then you'll be assigned along with some other grunts to follow that Pidgey. It obviously lives somewhere in Twinleaf. Tomorrow, if all goes well, you'll be assigned to stake-out the route that connects Twinleaf to Sandgem for however long it takes. There aren't many Pidgey around Twinleaf so if you see a wild one, capture it. If it is a Pokemon belonging to someone I want you to follow them until you learn more about them, and possibly why they're connected to Ho-Oh. You think you can do that?"

Bella's eyes lit up in excitement for her mission and the pay it would surely accumulate. "Yes sir!"

The boss leaned in and Bella could see his mouth. He had a scar running up from his to his cheek and had a mouthful of yellowed, decayed teeth. "Well then, Bella Reed," he said darkly, smiling at her, "if this isn't a fake, then I'm happy to say this. Welcome to Team Nightshade."

* * *

**Okay, this is by far my favorite chapter so far in the story. I just love writing Jane's character. She's so cute and adorable yet angered and kickass. Truly a fun kind of character to write ^_^ **

**The return of Bella Reed! And now she's a Team Nightshade member. This will probably spell trouble for our lovely protagonists in the future…oh well. **

**So, please review, and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Loved it? Hated it? Tell me, or you'll get shot by my kneecap lasers. **


	9. I Battle Evil Squirrels

**Why does my computer get so many viruses? Seriously, I NEED a Macbook this Christmas. :(**

**Bleck, it's time to update, isn't it? Well, that's cool ^_^ **

**Recap: We've learned there might be more to Percy than meets the eye. Ben and Jane have officially declared their friendship. And Bella is now an official member of Team Nightshade and has been sent to track our heroes down and follow them. That can't be good. **

**I just realized that in one chapter when Ben's ex is mentioned her name was Caitlyn, but when I introduced her, her name was Cassie. Oops, sorry if this confused anyone.**

**Also, Fake Norris, this one's for you. **

* * *

_Chapter 9: I Battle Evil Squirrels_

* * *

The week went on pretty quickly.

Everyday, it was spent as it always was. Woke up, rolled over, went back to sleep, woke up again, continued the flying lessons Jack was giving me (he sucked at them by the way, I could still only hover a few seconds), eat lunch with his weird ass family, take a nap, eat dinner with his weird ass family, take another nap, wake up, go to sleep.

It was a fucking nightmare. There was _nothing _to do.

So when the day came to begin our journey, I was like a kid on Christmas. A very dirty, cursing kid.

"Get your ass up, Jack! Today's the fucking day! We're getting out of this hellhole!" I was jumping up and down on his chest, the thought of pecking him as well became tempting, until he finally woke up.

"Get off, B-Cloud," he groaned, still not used to my new name.

I glared at him as he lifted me off him and put me next to him on the bed. "You moron! Today's the day we leave for our journey! I'm bored as shit, and we need to go!"

Jack sighed. "I thought the trainer was to get this excited, not the Pokemon."

"Bite me."

* * *

As the sun burned brightly in the sky, I was walking around the house, bored as hell. Jack was showering ("Priorities man!" I yelled at him) and packing his shit up. His sister Suzie had tried to make me stay so she could dress me up as a military soldier (I don't even fucking know) but I pecked her. She ran crying. I was so satisfied.

Finally, it was time to leave. With everything packed, everyone readied, we could finally go, and I couldn't be happier.

Jack slung a backpack over his shoulder, and as I sat on his bed, I noticed it was the same backpack I threw in the street. And I couldn't help but remember my death. The speeding metal, the crunch of my bones, the screams around me as people saw my demise. It was a very painful memory to say the least.

I'm not getting emotional, no, fuck that. Chuck Norris doesn't get emotional, and I _am _Chuck Norris, bitch. Oh yeah, I just blew your fucking mind.

Jack tossed some items into his pack, some books, some pencils, and some cash his parents provided. It was a couple hundred, but I couldn't tell, because Hoe-Bag…sorry, Ho-Oh, decided it'd be awesome if I couldn't read English letters or numbers. I call bullshit. Do you call bullshit? Because if not, I'm calling some bullshit on you not calling some bullshit.

Jack looked at me, smiling. "Ready to go?"

"Are you fucking serious?" I stared at him like he was crazy.

Jack sighed. "Are you _ever _going to be at least civil with me."

"Nope," I said, grinning.

Jack didn't respond, but I saw a glint of anger in his eye. And not like some 'you suck' anger, like a deep hatred kind of anger. It actually unnerved me a little bit. Not much though, because as I've stated before, I am the Chuck Norris. The fact that I'm a bird changes nothing, bitch.

"Come on," Jack said flatly. He reached down and picked me, making his way out of his bedroom and down the hall.

"Put me down! I can walk!" I yelled at him. "I have rights! I HAVE RIGHTS!"

As we walked downstairs, there were loads of tearful goodbyes and 'manly' hugs and handshakes. It's not very important, it's just that cliché "Oh we'll miss you so much and don't _ever _forget to call" shit. So let's do what I love to do: skip it!

After that, we left the house and Jack's dad Hulk (wasn't his actual name, but I named him that. Copyrights be damned) shut the door behind us. After that, we were officially on our journey.

Two words: Fuck yes.

* * *

"Can I please be put down now?" I asked as civil as I could possibly be after we had started walking for a little bit.

"Fine," Jack said bitterly. I had a feeling he was beginning to grow tired of my shit. Good, I was pissing him off. Mission accomplished.

"Hey guys!" a voice rang out.

Jack and I turned to the direction of the voice. There was Cassie, a backpack similar to Jack's over her shoulder, Percy cradled in her arms (he was smiling like a madman, obviously happy to be that close to someone's cleavage) and Shannon and Jane running along her side.

Jane ran over before anyone else caught up to her. Like last time, she tackled me to the ground. "Hi Cloud! Ready for our journey? It's going to be so fun!" Then she proceeded to nuzzle her head against my chest. It was cute to say the least.

Go on, tell me I'm a wimp. I _dare _you. You'll only receive a karate chop to your neck. So go on, punk, _make my day. _

I'm officially changing my name to Clint Norris. Oh hell yeah.

Then, just as soon as she had leapt on me, Jane jumped off, laughing. "This is gonna be fucking epic! Cloud, maybe we could be in a double battle! Oh I would rape any bastard that tried to fight me."

"I have no doubt, Jane," I said, chuckling. I was glad I had a friend this early on in the journey. Jane is one of the coolest people you can ever know, and she can turn even the manliest of men into either big softies or whimpering smears of nothingness underneath her paws. It depends on what mood she's in and what personality she's chosen. It's not like I had many other friends on this journey so far. An annoying dork, a shy seemingly nice girl who cheated on me (whoooooooooore), a pervert who keeps to himself about his past and a sympathetic diva who would be my friend if she got over herself for one damn second. Yeah, not a good selection, so I was grateful for someone like Jane.

Cassie, Percy and Shannon finally caught up to Jane. Cassie smiled at me. "Looks like they've made a friendship."

"Bite me," I said, glaring at her.

"Be nice," Jack grunted quietly. He then smiled at Cassie. "So, uh, ready to go?"

Cassie smiled back at him. "Yep. Got some cash, food, water, some hiking gear. I think I'm all ready to go."

Jack looked at us Pokemon. "So, how about you guys? Ready to go?"

"Shut the hell up, you _know _I want to go." I glared.

Shannon cocked her head to the side, looking like she had just tasted bad. "Ugh, we're going to the wilderness?" Yeah, some wilderness. "I swear, if I get mud on my paws, I'll be pissed."

Percy didn't answer, he was still too busy snuggling up to Cassie.

Jane was having her own little conversation with herself. "Jane, isn't this gonna be so fun?" she asked herself excitedly. "Hell yeah…when do I get to kick ass?" You see what I mean when I say she's awesome? "You should be patient! And…I don't think you should battle." Jane suddenly let out a low growl. "Why _not?_" Jane's face then contorted in fear. "I just mean…we're connected! If you go out into a fight, that means _I'll _have to fight." Jane then laughed. "Psh, sis, you worry to much. If I get in a fight, I'll protect you." Jane lit up like a Volbeat. "Really?" Jane then simply nodded, then gave an even bigger smile.

It'd be a sweet moment between sisters if it wasn't really, _really _confusing.

Cassie shifted her weight, not knowing what to say. "So, should we go now? We've said our goodbyes, we've got our supplies…so do we begin the journey now."

Jack shrugged. "I guess so." Then Jack let out a laugh.

Cassie looked at him strangely. "What's so funny?"

Jack shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just…everyone talks about how it's so hard to leave your home to go on a journey, but for us, well, it just feels like it's not that big of a deal. We'll still be in touch with our parents, and we've taken everything we need with us, so we won't miss anything too much. It just seems we're taking leaving our homes a lot better than everyone else."

Cassie looked down, a saddened expression gracing her face.

Jack took notice of that quickly (but he was helpful about it, when I would've laughed). "Hey, you okay? Did I say something…?"

Cassie shook her head, her black hair shaking as she did. "Oh no, it's just…I know why we're not having a hard time leaving."

Jack looked at her. "Why?"

Cassie sighed. "We both need this journey, Jack. We _need _it, a lot more than we're letting on. And you know why we need to leave this place behind." I noticed Jack looking confused, then realized what she was talking about, then he nodded solemnly. "There's too many bad memories. You know, about…_him._"

It hit me like a brick: they were talking about me and my death.

Cassie sniffled a bit as we all walked towards the town's entrance to leave for Sandgem. "I mean…I don't know what else to do other than run from it. Run from him. Now whenever I think of Twinleaf or Sandgem, I can only think about him. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I should sob uncontrollably. I don't know if I should act like it doesn't faze me. I don't know if I should be celebrating his memory. I just…I can't even think about it without getting so confused that it makes my head spin. I feel like shit everyday because all my thoughts are focused on _him. _Hell, I even skipped his funeral, because I just couldn't bear to see him in some box, dead."

My eyes widened. My funeral! I had a fucking funeral? When? Nobody told me. I knew I would have one, but I didn't know when. Thoughts of my parents flooded my mind. How would my mother react, what with her job searching? Would she give up? And, my Mew, how would my father react? That man was a big ball of angst and sadness…what had this done to him? My father would never tempt the option of suicide…right? Then, anger replaced sadness. Jack did nothing. He probably knew about it, so why didn't he go. I understand it might've been hard for him, but at least he could've told me about it then told me why he didn't want to go. But he didn't, he acted as if I didn't exist. I know I shouldn't have been angry, but I gave my life for his egg. At least give me some credit. As more emotions about the subject appeared within me, I kept listening to the conversation, or rather, Cassie talking to Jack while he stayed silent.

"And now all I can think about is how terrible I feel about…what I did." She said it hesitantly, because nobody likes to talk about how they cheated on someone. But I wanted her to feel under the magnifying glass, I wanted her to feel like shit about what she did. She wasn't the one who had started to fall in love with someone (yeah, yeah, I'm young and shouldn't know what love is, blah blah blah shut up). She wasn't the one who had found the person they fell in love with in the janitor's closet at school making out with some blonde rich guy (more like middle class, but when you're in Twinleaf, middle class is rich status worthy). No, that was me. _I _was the one who had to go through that, not her. I was the one who felt like shit, but to her it seemed like it didn't matter. The day after I found out, she didn't have much of a reaction to my finding out. When I saw her in the streets, she didn't give me a second glance. When we sat next to each other in the little schoolhouse, she said nothing to me. When I gave a speech for class that day, her eyes had directed themselves to her pencil which was placed on her desk. It was clear our relationship was over, and it didn't need the label of 'broken up'. Our relationship was one that didn't need that kind of label. Some things need labels. Some things don't. We didn't need that. It was clear in our body language and our separate emotions that the kind of spark we used to have ended as soon as I saw that guy's tongue in her mouth. Back then, it didn't even affect her in the slightest. But now it had affected her and it made her hurt. I was happy she had felt hurt, finally, after all this time. She should feel hurt, and now that she had, I couldn't be more happy.

Sadistic, you say? A little, but then again, we're talking about _me _here.

"Yeah…" Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Awkwardness will not leave me alone, will it?

Jack pointed. "Hey! Look, we're at the borderlines of the town."

Cassie gave a small smile. "Guess we are."

Jack grinned, trying to forget about the solemn seconds that occurred just a little bit before. "So, Cassie, we're finally on our journey."

Cassie couldn't help but lengthen her smile. "It's all up hill from here."

Jack laughed. "Couldn't agree more."

Oh how wrong teenagers are sometimes.

* * *

The route between Twinleaf and Sangem is as basic and generic as it could possibly get. It's just a lot of grass, covered in snow. There's also a gravel road for the very rare car that may pass between the two towns, but you wouldn't notice it because the snow covers it. And none of the Pokemon around here are all that interesting either. Bidoof is one of the dumbest Pokemon, and I would love to peck at it for hours, just to piss it off. It deserves it with a name like Bidoof. Other than that, you can find Starly which is your standard flying type and the occasional Shinx which kicks some serious ass if used well. I had seen these Pokemon around all my life, and frankly I was glad I was going on a journey to meet new Pokemon, since seeing the same shit for fifteen years is really boring.

The route was pretty straightforward as well. Just walk down a path, take a turn and bam! Hello Sandgem! So it wasn't too hard for Jack and Cassie to navigate our current trek. I wondered if we'd meet any trainers on this route. Trainers were pretty damn rare on this route, but I came on this journey for fighting and kicking ass. And so far I had kicked no ass. I was, to say the least, a sad panda (inside joke, involved me and some dude throwing Jack against the lockers and he hit some chick in a panda sweater. You had to be there).

I was freezing my tail feathers off. Yeah, I know. You're totally shocked. But imagine walking barefoot (baretalon, whatever) through the snow on a three hour hike with no clothes. Yeah, it's pretty fucking cold.

Jane was trying to cheer me up by singing a song, but it was ruined when she scolded herself for singing. I swear, that Eevee's cool, but crazy. Very, very crazy. I had just gotten used to it, but I would later realize why Jane was the way she was. It's actually a pretty deep story, but that'll be told in the future.

Yes people, the future. Where flying cars zoom by in the air. Where pink hover boards are the new 'thing'. Where people fly around in big blue boxes and fight monsters day in and day out with a new companion every year.

No, not really. Sorry.

It was a surprise to all of us when the boy stepped out of the trees. He had spiky green hair and a very dark tan (must've been from Hoenn). He was also pretty tall and very muscular, and I assumed he got his muscles from football seeing as he had a red letterman jacket for some high school on. Under the letterman jack he wore a long sleeved blue shirt and he wore some baggy blue jeans with some purple converse (who where's purple converse?). I also took notice of the Pachirisu atop his head, with its long bushy tail draped over his shoulder as it nuzzled against his hair affectionately. He was, to say the least, loud in appearance.

The boy, who I guessed was seventeen, noticed us and smiled. "Oh, hello. Didn't think anyone was on this route."

Jack grinned holding out his hand. "Hi, I'm Jack, nice to meet you." Did no one ever tell him to not talk to strangers?

The boy shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. My name's Drake." Then the boy named Drake pointed to the Pachirisu on his head. "This is Kirby. Say hi Kirby."

Kirby proceeded to burp as loud as he possibly could. It was lovely, really.

That was a joke, lighten up, geez.

Cassie stepped out from behind Jack, making herself known. She had a visible blush, and I couldn't tell if it was from the sheer cold of the environment or because she was blushing because she thought he was cute. I hoped it was the former, because if it was the latter, I'd be pissed seeing as she got over me pretty damn quickly. "Um, hello." She then gave a little wave. "I'm Cassie."

I looked up at Drake. "Don't fall for it man. She probably only wants your nuts or your money, or both."

What? I was _helping _him, silly.

"Nice to meet you," Drake smiled, and my Mew his teeth were whiter than the snow that had fallen on the ground. And let me tell you, that's pretty damn white. Just saying.

Cassie smiled shyly, but I saw through her act. She was truly evil and wanted to eat all of our souls in the dead of night. I'm being totally cereal.

Jack then took it upon himself to introduce us Pokemon. "This Pidgey is my starter, Cloud. The rest are hers. Jane the Eevee, Percy the Minun and Shannon the Nidoran."

Drake nodded. "Cool. Are you two trainers?"

"I am," Jack said.

"I'm just traveling with him," Cassie admitted.

Drake then turned his attention to Jack. "So you're a trainer?" Jack nodded. "Have you battled yet?"

Jack shook his head. "Not yet, I've only just started my journey today."

Drake smiled, rubbing his hands together. "This is perfect! Let's battle!"

Jack and I both looked at him and said in unison, "Huh?"

Drake kept on grinning. "Come on! You haven't battled anyone, I haven't battled anyone, and since there's no trainers on this route except us, we should battle."

Jack took a small step back, shaking his head. "I don't know, I haven't trained Cloud that much…"

"Plus, the Pokemon League Official Rulebook states that if one trainer is confronted by another trainer, one is challenged to a battle and their eyes lock then the trainer who has been challenged must accept the battle or forfeit and give the challenger the proper amount of money. The only loophole in the rule is that if your Pokemon are all fainted or too injured to battle then the trainer who has been challenged may forfeit and not pay the proper amount of money. And your Pidgey seems fine, so you have to fight me, or give me some of your money right now."

Ugh, he was one of _those _trainers. The trainers who've read the rulebook a hundred times and act like battling is the only reason there is to living.

Jack thought for a moment, then looked at Kirby. "On one condition. After our battle, you let me take some notes on your Pachirisu."

Drake furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I'm interested in Pokemon and I wanted to be a Pokemon professor when I grow up, and taking notes on Pokemon early on is the easiest way to start that career," Jack explained.

Drake nodded, then gave a sly smile. "Okay, sounds cool. Deal…now let's fight!"

Jack then looked down at me. "You ready, Cloud?"

I grinned devilishly. "You bet your nerdy ass I'm ready, bitch!"

Jack sighed. "Way to be nice."

"Thank you."

Drake tapped his foot impatiently as Kirby leapt off of his head and prepared itself for battle. "Are we gonna do this or not?" Drake asked, annoyed at Jack's slowness.

I stepped in front of Jack, preparing myself for battle. I went through some strategies and battle statistics in my head. By now, my move set was Tackle, Sand Attack and Gust. Tackle would be useful seeing as it was a physical move and Pachirisu's Defense wasn't that good. Sand Attack would help as I could lower Kirby's accuracy when needed. Gust wouldn't do shit seeing as it was weak against Electric and it was a special move and Pachirisu have good Special Defense. Kirby's move set should've been Growl, Charm, Bide and Quick Attack. Quick Attack might hurt a bit. Bide was stupid because if I didn't attack it while it used Bide then it couldn't hurt me. Growl and Charm worried me. They both would lower my Attack, making my Tackle useless so it could Quick Attack over and over until I had fainted.

You know, all this Pokemon knowledge hurts your brain when you think about it.

My thoughts were interrupted by Drake's voice ringing out. "Kirby, Quick Attack!"

Kirby yawned, then, in a burst of incredible speed, shot forward and slammed into me. I flew back, landing on my back at Jack's feet. Kirby then followed up with another Quick Attack that sent me flying through the air and hitting a nearby tree. I groaned as pain shot through my tiny new body. I lay slumped down on the snowy ground, in pain. That little bastard had power!

Jack, who had been processing strategies just as I had been a few moments ago, finally gave me an order. "Sand Attack!"

I nodded. As much as Jack annoyed me, I figured I should listen to him. After all, he _was _the Pokemon expert. So as Kirby made a u-turn around and prepared to continue Quick Attacking me, I flapped my wings frantically. Sand shot out from my wings at the speeding Pachirisu. Don't ask how, I can't answer that. Kirby then cried out as sand had become caked in his tiny little eyes. He cried out and veered off to the side, Quick Attacking a tree. Kirby groaned at the pain that he was surely feeling from that hard hit against the tree.

"Tackle!" Jack commanded.

I didn't need to be asked twice. I ran forward towards the still dazed Kirby, who was desperately trying to get sand out of his eyes. I then jumped as I got near him, and Tackled into him as hard as I could. The squirrel yelled in pain as he rolled backwards into the snow. I smiled. Definitely a direct hit, because Kirby was now holding as if he had an intense migraine.

Jack smiled. "Good job, Cloud!"

"I fucking kick ass!" I yelled happily. My first Pokemon battle and I was actually doing pretty well. That is, until Kirby finally got that sand out of his eyes.

Drake took notice of this pretty fast, much to my disappointment. "Alright, Kirby! Use Quick Attack!"

Kirby gave a lazy nod, then glared at me. He began to rush towards me, and before I could even process what was happening, Kirby had bashed himself into me.

"Cloud, use Sand Attack!"

I was too pissed to listen. Fuck strategy, I wanted to kick this little ball of fur's ass. So, I ignored Jack's ordered and instead jumped at Kirby, about to use Tackle to its full power.

Drake chuckled. "Now, Bide!"

Oh shit.

Bide's power is increased whenever its opponent attacks it as it uses Bide. I tried to stop myself, but gravity's a bitch and wouldn't let me. I wildly flapped my wings to try to fly backwards to no avail. Kirby's eyes glowed black as the rest of his body glowed an angry red. I slammed into the squirrel, and it barely fazed the damn thing. I stepped back as Kirby's red glow and black eyes intensified in brightness. Then, after a couple of seconds passed, Kirby let out a roar and shot forward to finally attack me with Bide. I cried out in horror and began to run the opposite direction. But Kirby proved to be much faster than I could ever be, and slammed into me. I screamed in agony. The pain was so fucking intense, I was close to passing out. I felt some sort of liquid on my back, soaking my feathers. I was bleeding.

Oh shit…again.

I weakly looked over to Kirby. He looked just as weak as I was, surprisingly. That Bide attack must've worn him out. Good, now time to kick some serious ass in the fashion of Clint Norris, the world's greatest hero. I jumped towards Kirby, performing a Tackle attack, bashing into his head. Intense pain zipped through my spine as my back was in serious pain, but I ignored it to put some damage to Kirby. As soon as I Tackled him, Kirby growled in pain, falling on his back, heavily breathing.

_One more hit._

I shot forward, despite the pain in my back, Tackling him once more in the side. He rolled across the snow, groaning in pain as a little blood seeped out from his mouth into the snow. Kirby tried desperately to get back up and attack, but it was no use. The electric squirrel slumped back down, and his eyes closed.

He had fainted.

I won my first battle.

Two words come to mind:

_Fuck. Yes. _

* * *

**Long chapter is long. **

**So, in this chapter, we got a little into Cassie's feelings about Ben's death and it was angsty, wasn't it? Yup, very, very angst filled! Then, Ben finally participated in his first battle! Was it good, as in, was it well written for a battle scene? Please review and tell me. **

**And I understand how underplayed the beginning of their journey was, but seriously, everyone and their Mom's Flareon write a whole chapter or large chunk of the chapter about this long goodbye or this long, boring exposition building up to the leaving of their home. I just decided I should keep it short, because I've kept you guys from the beginning of the journey long enough. **

**So, now Ben's journey has finally started. Predictions? Please review and leave kind words. Mean words are mean and would just destroy my precious little heart :( So please be nice, or I'll throw stale Pringles at you. You wouldn't want that, now would you? **


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